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Episode 023 - Gossips in the Workplace

/ 51:33/E23
In this episode, we discuss gossips in the workplace. Could gossips be harmful or necessary in the workplace?
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References for the research cited or mentioned in the podcast are below

  • Rosnow, R. L. (2001). Rumour and gossip in interpersonal interaction and beyond: A Social Exchange Perspective. In R. M. Kowalski (Ed.), Behaving badly: Aversive behaviours in interpersonal relationships (pp. 203–232). Washington, DC: APA.
  • Rosnow, R. L., & Georgoudi, M. (1985). Killed by idol gossip: The psychology of small talk. In B. Rubin (Ed.), When information counts: Grading the media (pp. 59–73). Lexington, MA: Lexington Books
  • Ben-Ze’ev, A. (1994). The vindication of gossip. In R. F. Goodman & A. Ben-Ze’ev (Eds.), Good gossip (pp. 11–24). Lawrence: University of Kansas Press.
  • Kurland, N. B., & Pelled, L. H. (2000). Passing the word: Toward a model of gossip and power in the workplace. Academy of Management Review, 25, 428–438.
  • Noon, M., and Delbridge, R. (1993). News from behind my hand: gossip in organizations. Organ. Stud. 14, 23–36. doi: 10.1177/017084069301400103
  • Dunbar, R. I., Marriott, A., and Duncan, N. D. (1997). Human conversational behavior. Hum. Nat. 8, 231–246. doi: 10.1007/BF02912493
  • Dunbar, R. I. (2004). Gossip in evolutionary perspective. Rev. Gen. Psychol. 8,100–110. doi: 10.1037/1089-2680.8.2.100
  • Foster, E. K. (2004). Research on gossip: taxonomy, methods, and future directions. Rev. Gen. Psychol. 8, 78–99. doi: 10.1037/1089-2680.8.2.78
  • Barkow, J. H. (1992). “Beneath new culture is old psychology: gossip and social stratification,” in The Adapted Mind: Evolutionary Psychology and the Generation of Culture, eds J. H. Barkow, L. Cosmides, and J. Tooby, New York, NY: Oxford University Press), 627–637.
  • Davis, H., and McLeod, S. L. (2003). Why humans value sensational news: an evolutionary perspective. Evol. Hum. Behav. 24, 208–216. doi: 10.1016/S1090- 5138(03)00012-6
  • Baumeister, R. F., Zhang, L. Q., and Vohs, K. D. (2004). Gossip as cultural learning. Rev. Gen. Psychol. 8, 111–121. doi: 10.1037/1089-2680.8.2.111
  • Duffy, M. K., Ganster, D. C., and Pagon, M. (2002). Social undermining in the workplace. Acad. Manag. J. 45, 331–351.
  • Baumeister, R. F., and Leary, M. R. (1995). The need to belong: desire for interpersonal attachments as a fundamental human motivation. Psychol. Bull. 117, 497–529. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497
  • Ellwardt, L., Labianca, G. J., andWittek, R. (2012). Who are the objects of positive and negative gossip at work? A social network perspective on workplace gossip. Soc. Netw. 34, 193–205. doi: 10.1016/j.socnet.2011.11.003
  • Aquino, K., and Thau, S. (2009). Workplace victimization: aggression from the target's perspective. Annu. Rev. Psychol. 60, 717–741. doi: 10.1146/annurev.psych.60.110707.163703
  • Chandra, G., and Robinson, S. L. (2010). “They’re talking about me again: the impact of being the target of gossip on emotional distress and withdrawal,” in Paper Presented at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management, Boston, MA.
  • Waddington, K., and Michelson, G. (2007). “Analyzing gossip to reveal and understand power relationships, political action and reaction to change inside organizations,” in Paper Presented at the 5th International Critical Management Studies Conference, Manchester.
  • Bok, S. (1989). Secrets: On the Ethics of Concealment and Revelation. New York, NY: Vintage.
  • Grosser, T. J., Lopez-Kidwell, V., Labianca, G., and Ellwardt, L. (2012). Hearing it through the grapevine: positive and negative workplace gossip. Organ. Dyn. 41, 52–61. doi: 10.1016/j.orgdyn.2011.12.007
  • Kniffin, K. M., and Wilson, D. S. (2010). Evolutionary perspectives on workplace gossip: why and how gossip can serve groups. Group Organ. Manag. 35,150–176. doi: 10.1177/1059601109360390
  • Salmansohn, K. (2016). Think happy: Instant peptalks to boost positivity. Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press.
  • Danziger, E. (1988). Minimize office gossip. The Personnel Journal, 67, 31–35.
  • Porterfield, E. (2008). Gossip can be toxic to the workplace – And your reputation. The Seattle Times. http://www.seattletimes.com/life/ lifestyle/gossip-can-be-toxic-to-the-workplace-8212-and-yourreputation/.
  • Wu, L., Birtch, T. A., Chiang, F. F., & Zhang, H. (2018). Perceptions of negative workplace gossip: A self-consistency theory framework. Journal of Management, 44, 1873–1898. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206316632057.
  • Kuo, C., Chang, K., Quinton, S., Lu, C., & Lee, I. (2015). Gossip in the workplace and the implications for HR management: A study of gossip and its relationship to employee cynicism. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26,2288–2307. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2014.985329.
  • Foster, E. K. (2004). Research on gossip: Taxonomy, methods, and future directions. Review of General Psychology, 8, 78–99. https://doi.org/ 10.1037/1089-2680.8.2.78.

Episode 023 - Gossips in the Workplace

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