Grapevine pattern is the most important issue for an organization. Let’s have some discussion about the basic grapevine pattern of organization. Information spread like a closer chain on the grapevine, rather than a long chain because each link in the chain tends to inform not only one person but several persons at a time.
What it implies is that in the initial stages, an individual transmits information to a number of individuals say three or four.
These three or four persons or any one or two of them will pass on the information to others usually more than one person and in this way, all become known to the information in no time.
As the information becomes known to more and more people and becomes state it dies out because those who receive it do not repeat it, i.e., the number of persons being informed by an individual goes on declining.
If we accept the idea of a cluster chain, we can conclude that only a few are active communicators in the group on the grapevine for any particular bit of information and others are simply receivers of information and do not spread it. The active communicator is called bias on individuals.
Grapevine pattern of organization
The grapevine is more a product of the situation than it is of a person and if the proper situation and motivation are given, any individual may become an active communicator on the grapevine.
Keith Davis has suffused three situations for becoming an active communicator:
- When there are excitement and insecurity about the job.
- When our friends and associates are involved in the situation.
- When it is news and hot stale information because research shows that the greatest spread of information takes place immediately after it becomes known.
It is a job characteristic of a person that has an important influence on that person’s role on the grapevine. So, certain employees are more active on the grapevine and spread or help communicate the information, not because of his personality but because of his close proximity to a person who possesses the news.
With some, of course, it is a personality characteristic also. Some people by nature are reserved and keep everything confidential.
Related content of Informal Organization:
- Nature of Informal Organization
- Advantages of Informal Organization
- Difference between Formal and Informal Organization
- Barriers to Informal Organization
- How to Overcome Barriers of Informal Organization?
- What is the Meaning of Grapevine?
- Advantages and Disadvantages of Grapevine in an Organization
- Features of Grapevine in an Organization
- What does mean by Rumor in Organizations?
- How to Control Rumor in Organizations?