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Grapevine - Communications

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Module:
Business Communications

The Importance of ‘The Grapevine’ in Internal Business Communications.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents i
Terms of Reference iii
Introduction iv
1 Grapevine in Business 1 1.1 Internal Business Communications 1 1.1.1 Objectives 1 1.1.2 Formal versus Informal 1 1.2 Definition 1 1.3 History 2
2 Structure of a Grapevine 2 2.1 Elements 2 2.2 Informational Chains 2 2.2.1 The Single Strand Chain 2 2.2.2 The Gossip Chain 3 2.2.3 The Probability Chain 3 2.2.4 The Cluster Chain 3 2.3 The Transmission Forms of Rumours 3 2.3.1 Pipe Dreams or Wish Fulfilment 3 2.3.2 The Bogie Rumour 4 2.3.3 Wedge Drivers 4 2.3.4 Home-Stretchers 4 2.4 Types of …show more content…

Introduction

For the purpose of this assignment we will be researching and evaluating the importance of the grapevine in internal business communications. In order to do this effectively we will first need to define the grapevine, discover how it originated, describe its structure, and discuss the advantages & disadvantages. We will also interpret the results of an experiment which has been performed to assess the accuracy of the grapevine. On completion of this information we will then be in a position to conclude whether or not the grapevine is in fact important in internal business communications in the present day, and also we will put forward our recommendations on how to manage it.
There are many conflicting opinions regarding whether the grapevine is a valuable tool for rapid transmission of information, or simply an annoyance causing untrue rumours to circulate.

Business-unit boundaries exist precisely because they create efficient structures for executing strategy. The solutions, we think, lies not in reorganisation but in informal communication through the social networks that exist throughout the company.

(Kleinbaum & Tushman 2008)

It’s concerning because the grapevine, although a rapid carrier of “news”, is generally unreliable as a source as information is passed on from person to

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