One of the concepts I found quite interesting was the concept on the grapevine, an informal channel of communication. In a work context the grapevine can be an important means by which to keep abreast of what is actually going on at one's company. the nature of formal channels of communication makes it such that only the “official word” is given on a particular matter. Through the grapevine one may be able to discover information such as who has been reprimanded and why or whether there will be any layoffs. Many people take this activity as mere gossip, but chapter 8 advances the idea that the grapevine arises out of personal need because of the inadequacy of formal channels; that the grapevine can be an important and useful means of acquiring information and that grapevine information can be quite accurate. (trenholm, 224) Because the grapevine or gossip is frequently attributed to women, it's oftentimes undervalued when in actuality there's a lot of important information to be found in the grapevine.
Another concept of interest was that of withdrawal. Everyone has different ways of managing interpersonal conflict. I feel as though my style is a combination of engaging and withdrawal. Withdrawal was a pattern of behavior I learned growing up with a naughty brother whose actions I was to be accountable for as the oldest. Whenever I was about to do something wrong my immediate response was “I'm not getting involved.” I didn't was to get into a huge conflict with him over his bad behavior and preferred to discuss it with my mother. As an adult I've used withdrawal as a means of avoiding painful topics or as a means of stopping a conversation I don't want to have. I think understanding why people withdraw in interpersonal situations can help mediate conflict.
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Hi Nyp,
ReplyDeleteI also find the grapevine to be of major interest because no matter where you work there is always going to be a grapevine that travels through the company. Recently, my husbands company conducted layoffs and when word got pout that layoffs were coming it created an immediate grapevine.
People started talking about who they heard would be laid off and why. Then you get the people that create even more controversy by taking the grapevine gossip way to far and throwing others into a panic. I think if companies focused more attention into communicating with all employees then the grapevine may become a healthier form of information.
I think that your post about the grapevine was very interesting. I agree that there is a lot of important information to be found in the grapevine. For example, in my own culture women use the grapevine to network and assist one another. Finding carpools, babysitters, jobs, and even mechanics all by using word of mouth conversations passed from one person to another. For example, my mother was laid off and looking for some extra income. My grandma told her neighbor of my moms situation, and the neighbor told her sister who had a young daughter. My mom now watches the child and makes an extra couple hundred dollars a month thanks to the grapevine. These informal communication structures are important parts of societies and cultures around the world, not just gossiping networks.
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