Page 270 - DMGT402_MANAGEMENT_PRACTICES_AND_ORGANIZATIONAL_BEHAVIOUR

Unit 13: Communication and Leadership

Notes

Notes Grapevine

The network for much informal communication is the organisation’s grapevine.
Grapevines develop in organisations to handle communications that the formal channels
of communication do not handle. It typically supplements or replaces the organisational
hierarchy as the means for transmitting communication. The grapevine serves as an
excellent source of information about employee attitudes as well as an emotional outlet
for workers. Thus, the grapevine is likely to be strong during uncertain times and in
organisations that limit the flow of information to employees through formal channels.
Also, employees may participate in a grapevine to help meet social needs.
The development of grapevines is inevitable.

Their content is misinterpreted, abbreviated, embellished and selectively transmitted in
terms of what the sender believes the receiver wants or needs to know. Since the original
message may be only partially true, it is not surprising that the grapevine is sometimes
referred to as a rumour mill. The information that travels through a grapevine typically
takes the form of gossip (belief about other people) and rumours (efforts to predict future
events). The Grapevine has three main characteristics:
1. It is not controlled by management.

2. It is perceived by most employees as being more believable and reliable than formal
communiqués issued by top management.
3. It is largely used to serve the self-interests of the people within it.

13.2.3 Based on Context

Based on context, the different types of communication are:

Organisational Communication

Communication is the passing of information and understanding from one person to another at
the same level or at different levels. It is the process by which the management reaches others in
managing its work. Since managers work through others, all of their managerial functions pass
through the bottleneck of communication. One person can initiate the process but he alone
cannot complete it. It is completed only when it is received by others. The effectiveness of
management largely depends upon the effectiveness of communication. It is communication
which gives life to the organisation; so, it can be likened to the life blood of an organisation. The
communication system serves as the vehicle by which an organisation is embedded in its
environment. It not only integrates the various sub –units of an organisation but also, in a
systematic sense, serves as an elaborate set of interconnected channels designed to sift and
analyse information important from the environment. It also exports processed information to
the environment.
The roles of communication become more critical as the organisation grows in its size, complexity
and sophistication. So, the system should be adjusted according to the needs of the organisation
from time to time.

Communication is the nervous system of an organisation. It keeps the members of the
organisation informed about the internal and external happenings relevant to a task and of
interest to the organisation. It coordinates the efforts of the members towards achieving
organisational objectives. It is the process of influencing the action of a person or a group. It is

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