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Disadvantages Of Gossip

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Teamwork and communication work hand in hand, gossip however, is the consequence of poor communication and the death of teamwork. The Business Dictionary defines teamwork as ‘the process of working collaboratively with a group of people in order to achieve a goal’.1 Communication is defined as the act or process of exchanging and sharing information, ideas and feelings.2 Gossip can be described as a form of informal communication but more accurately it has been defined as trivial writing or talk of an intimate nature about someone else, in either rumors or facts, that is usually unconfirmed or untrue – negative gossip.

As gossip is a form of communication though an informal one, it was slightly difficult differentiating the from …show more content…

Negative gossip is different from idle chit chats, it is different from small chats people have, it is the negative, unsubstantiated information spoken in ill-will. It creates rifts between colleagues as gossip also changes how you see people and stops colleagues from working successfully with each other.6,7 The danger of gossiping is that gossip is as seductive as a drug, it keeps you wanting more. It is a time waster, its kills productivity and diminishes the potential of an organization but more importantly, gossiping hurts people.

In much larger organizations, gossip has been seen to thrive, particularly in environments of ambiguity where policies and information are not overtly outlined. This fuels the subsequent loss of trust in the leadership and organization which altogether destroys the integrity of the team.6 Regular and authentic communication, allows for the identification of any conflicts and misunderstandings that could otherwise lead to gossip. Lack of trust in formal communication and the information provided, ushers gossip. People thrive on gossip when they do not trust formal channels.7 By constructing more opportunities for raising problems, thus addressing them openly to stop

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