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Gossip as a resource: How and why power relationships shape gossip behavior

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  • Martinescu, Elena
  • Janssen, Onne
  • Nijstad, Bernard A.

Abstract

Gossip entails spreading evaluative information about people who are not present. From a social exchange perspective, we examined how hierarchical power relationships shape individuals’ gossip motives and behavior. Results of a laboratory experiment (Study 1) partially supported our prediction that gossip is less likely and elaborate in downward compared to upward and lateral interactions. We further predicted that people gossip laterally to seek information and social support, and upwards to exert influence. A scenario (Study 2) and critical incident study (Study 3) with working populations showed that lateral gossip was more functional for seeking information and expressive social support, whereas upward gossip (Study 2) and upward and lateral gossip (Study 3) were more functional for exerting informal influence and for seeking instrumental support. These results confirm our notion that gossip is functional behavior that enables individuals in hierarchical power relationships to strategically exchange different social resources (i.e., information, influence, support).

Suggested Citation

  • Martinescu, Elena & Janssen, Onne & Nijstad, Bernard A., 2019. "Gossip as a resource: How and why power relationships shape gossip behavior," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 89-102.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jobhdp:v:153:y:2019:i:c:p:89-102
    DOI: 10.1016/j.obhdp.2019.05.006
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Marc Lecoutre & Pascal Lièvre, 2008. "Management et réseaux sociaux : ressource pour l'action ou outil de gestion ?," Post-Print hal-00757069, HAL.
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    3. Baldwin, David A., 1978. "Power and Social Exchange," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 72(4), pages 1229-1242, December.
    4. Derek D. Rucker & Adam D. Galinsky & David Dubois, 2012. "Power and consumer behavior: How power shapes who and what consumers value," Post-Print hal-00724231, HAL.
    5. Waytz, Adam & Chou, Eileen Y. & Magee, Joe C. & Galinsky, Adam D., 2015. "Not so lonely at the top: The relationship between power and loneliness," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 69-78.
    6. Rafael Wittek & Rudi Wielers, 1998. "Gossip in Organizations," Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 189-204, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Simone Righi & Károly Takács, 2022. "Gossip: Perspective Taking to Establish Cooperation," Dynamic Games and Applications, Springer, vol. 12(4), pages 1086-1100, December.
    2. Vanessa Begemann & Nale Lehmann-Willenbrock & Maie Stein, 2023. "Peeling Away the Layers of Workplace Gossip: A Framework, Review, and Future Research Agenda to Study Workplace Gossip as a Dynamic and Complex Behavior," Merits, MDPI, vol. 3(2), pages 1-21, April.
    3. Rezwan Ullah & Muhammad Zada & Imran Saeed & Jawad Khan & Muhammad Shahbaz & Alejandro Vega-Muñoz & Guido Salazar-Sepúlveda, 2021. "Have You Heard That—“GOSSIP”? Gossip Spreads Rapidly and Influences Broadly," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-16, December.

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