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Gossip in Organizations

Author

Listed:
  • Rafael Wittek

    (University of Groningen)

  • Rudi Wielers

    (Erasmus University Rotterdam)

Abstract

Three hypotheses about the effects of different informal social network structures on gossip behavior are developed and tested. Gossip is defined as a conversation about a third person who is not participating in the conversation. Having analyzed the costs and benefits of gossip, we prefer the coalition hypothesis.~It states that gossip will flourish in social networks that have a relatively large number of coalition triads, that is ego and alter having a good relationship amongst themselves and both having a bad relationship with tertius, the object of gossip. Two rivalling hypotheses are developed. The constraint hypothesis predicts that the inclination towards gossip is greater, the larger the number of structural holes in the personal network of the gossipmonger.~The closure hypothesis predicts that more gossip will be found in networks with a large number of closed triads, that is where both gossipmonger and listener have a good relationship with the absent third person. The hypotheses are tested using a newly developed instrument to measure gossip behavior and network data from six work organizations and six school classes. The data support the coalition hypothesis and do not support the two rivalling hypotheses.

Suggested Citation

  • Rafael Wittek & Rudi Wielers, 1998. "Gossip in Organizations," Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 189-204, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:comaot:v:4:y:1998:i:2:d:10.1023_a:1009636325582
    DOI: 10.1023/A:1009636325582
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Schrader, Stephan, 1995. "Gaining advantage by 'leaking' information: Informal information trading," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 13(2), pages 156-163, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Tom A.B. Snijders, 1998. "Methodological Issues in Studying Effects of Networks in Organizations," Computational and Mathematical Organization Theory, Springer, vol. 4(2), pages 205-215, June.
    2. 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.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.
    5. Jacobo Gomez‐Conde & Ernesto Lopez‐Valeiras & Ricardo Malagueño & José Carlos Tiomatsu Oyadomari, 2022. "Quality of performance metrics, informal peer monitoring and goal commitment," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(3), pages 4041-4077, September.

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