Spanish Translation and Validation of the Office Gossip Scale of Schmidt in a Sample of Workers in Puerto Rico

Vega, Abner Vélez; Valles, Roberto González

doi:10.21772/ripo.v34n1a03

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…We use gossip as a medium to understand the experiences of sexual minorities (more specifically, gays and lesbians) in South African organizations. Gossip may be one means through which cultural intersectionalities may become salient (Carrim, 2016; Vega and Valles, 2015). We consider established notions of race, class, gender, sexual orientation and other markers of difference that come together in gay and lesbian employees’ experiences of office gossip (Mahadevan et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Office gossip related to gays and lesbians: An ‘otherness’ perspective

MH Carrim,

Nel,

Morakile

2024

Int'l Jnl of Cross Cultural Management

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Cross-cultural encounters with diverse individuals, such as gays and lesbians, has resulted in these persons often encountering a sense of otherness. Within the workplace context, there exists a preferable cultural identity of heteronormativity, where heterosexual individuals dominate and represent the ‘we,’ while those who are ‘different,’ including gays and lesbians, represent the ‘cultural other.’ The study that informs this article investigated how Black African gay and lesbian people, as the ‘cultural other,’ experience otherness through workplace gossip, and why gossipers engage in such behavior. Using a qualitative research approach comprising semi-structured face-to-face interviews with 18 Black African gay and lesbian persons, in various South African organizations, thematic analysis was the basis for data analysis. Findings suggest that Black African lesbian women at lower organizational levels experience greater marginalization in the form of gossip compared to Black African gay men. Furthermore, the perception among gay and lesbian participants is that gossip related to the sexual orientation of the other is more rooted in the Black African than the White, Coloured and Indian South African communities. It was also found that intersecting identities (socio-economic class; educational qualifications; geographic location) result in marginalized, lower educated employees from Black African townships gossiping to a greater extent about gay and lesbian people, than those with higher qualifications and socioeconomic profiles residing in suburbs. Organizational cultures where people were rooted in religious beliefs produced more intense office gossip than workplace cultures where managers and peers embraced diversity. We recommend that in embracing cross-cultural management practices, training of employees regarding cross-cultural adjustment and understanding the other, will bring positive outcomes in the workplace environment.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%