Evolutionary Perspectives on Workplace Gossip: Why and How Gossip Can Serve Groups

Abstract

Gossip in the workplace has generally been ignored by researchers and often criticized by practitioners. The authors apply a transdisciplinary evolutionary approach to argue that gossip is a natural part of social organizations and that certain conditions can encourage socially-redeeming gossip. They draw on case studies involving cattle ranchers, members of a competitive rowing team, and airline company employees to juxtapose the nature and functions of gossip across a wide set of communities. They find that workplace gossip can serve positive functions when organizational rewards-measured in contextspecific currencies-are fairly allocated at the level of small-scale groups rather than the level of individuals within groups. Given the diversity of their case studies, the authors are able to identify financial and nonfinancial rewards that facilitate group-serving gossip in different environments. Their findings make sense in light of an evolutionary perspective that recognizes similarities between the range of environments in which humans have primarily evolved and the workplace conditions that invite socially-redeeming gossip.

Gossip and the Group: A Self-Categorization Perspective

“…According to Kniffin and Wilson (2010), gossip can increase productivity, particularly when group level outcomes are salient or incentivized. Group level incentives increase "mutual monitoring" as the outcome for any one worker is now dependent on the performance of the other workers.…”

“…Gossip plays a prominent role in mutual monitoring as a way for employees to discuss who is and is not making a fair contribution to the group, while serving a warning to those listening that that contribution is being monitored. Using an evolutionary psychology framework, Kniffin and Wilson (2010) describe gossip as a form of "cheater detection" or a way to identify those who are not contributing to the group and are a threat to group outcomes. For example, they describe gossip within a college rowing team as a means of identifying, and eventually sanctioning, a "slacker" on the team who wasn't working as hard as the rest of the team.…”

“…Kniffin & Wilson, 2010;Wilson, Wilczynski, Wells, & Weiser, 2000 Gossip can also be a means of gaining power for those in the workplace who have been excluded from the formal workplace hierarchy. Secretaries and assistants, for example, may be privy to large amount of information about employees and, more importantly, the boss.…”

Breaking the Silence: The Role of Gossip in Organizational Culture

“…This question involves trying to make public what is an essentially private talk. The relevant methodological characteristics might include the ethics of "eavesdropping" (see Kniffin & Wilson, 2010, for their discussion about third parties hearing the gossip) and other covert data collection methods (see Noon, 2001). Confidential "gossipy" conversations may be private among work colleagues and friends but secret to enemies, nonallies, and researchers because gossip is also a means of distancing and exclusion.…”

Motives behind Networking on Social Media and Subsequent Gossip Propensity: A Causal Analysis

“…On the other hand, gossips and rumors being shared among consumers can lead towards an increase in brand buzz making brand campaigns viral in the marketplace (Archer-Brown, Piercy, & Joinson, 2012;Kotler & Keller, 2014). Anthropologists have historically considered gossip as a tool to maintain group interests (K. M. Kniffin & Sloan Wilson, 2010; Kevin M. Kniffin & Wilson, 2005) whereas psychologists have tended to consider the use of gossip to advance individual interests (Griffith, 2015;McAndrew, Bell, & Garcia, 2007). However, management researchers have tried to explore the motives of gossiping among employees and their subsequent organizational implications (Griffith, 2015).…”