Gossip and the Balance Sheet

GOSSIP AND THE

BALANCE SHEETDamian Stoupe

www.somersetcounselling.co.uk

Damian Stoupe real people + real passion = real performance

Gossip we all do it!

• 90% of workers gossip and we gossip for 60% of our

working time!

• Men: bad news – we gossip just as much as the women

– we just call it something different!

• Gossip can be neutral, positive or negative.

• Gossip is a form of communication

talking is good… for productivity

• Ostrom (1998) empirically demonstrated the

benefits of groups working for the common good

• Increase amount of face to face communication

• Increases amount of social capital in group

• Called for innovative governance

• Implement mutually agreed rules for conduct

• Inclusion, autonomy, empathy, power neutrality, transparency

• Cannot be imposed

Trust

ReciprocityReputation

different management styles…

Blame managers

Result managers

No punishment

Risk acceptance

Outcome focussed

Reduced risk

Reduced initiative

Look after their own credit rating

gossip as a transaction

• trading ‘political’ and ‘social’ capital

• trading two commodities in a market place (office)

• mechanisms:

• gossip for myth-information

• gossip for violence

• gossip on the black-marketBlame (Liability)

•Decreases political capital

•Reduces trust

Credit (Asset)

• Increases political capital

• Increases trust

Functions of Gossip

• information or myth information?

• Gaining influence

• way to exert informal power; gossips can be seen as influential.

• Way to release pent up aggression

• way of uniting two people against a third

• Foster intellectual stimulation

• eg Yahoo at the moment

• Way to build relationships and test trust

• Maintain group norms

• rowing boat example

the gossip triangle

Asset

Hero

Messenger(s)

Admirer

Accuser

Scapegoat

Liability

Leads to

• increased sense of threat

• Increased isolation

• Mob ‘violence’

Increases

validity of

message

Gossip needs an audience

• Role of the audience in gossip:

• eg: tell someone else's wife you are in love with her – she is free to

deal with it as she wishes to – tell friends you are in love with her a

whole new dimension is opened up as a result of the audience

participation and lack of control of the original message.

• Also understand principle of social proof – the greater the

number of people who believe something is true the more

it is accepted as truth – even if it is not true.

• Gossip always starts out with one person who floats trial

balloon

utility/visibility matrix

•Long term survival

•High productivity

•Safe position

•Presenteeism is the rule

•‘Pottering around’

•Can be risky

•Harder to get to

•Must perform

•Target position

•Precarious

•High risk for individual

•low return for team/organisation

•Aim to off-load blame

‘politician’ ‘CEO’

‘Worker’‘bureaucrat’

Adapted from Grote & McGeeney 1997

L

L

H

H Utility Axis

Visibility Axis

model-obstacle theory (double-binds)

• “be like me - don’t be like me”

• “be assertive - don’t be assertive”

• “use your initiative - don’t make any mistakes”

• “make me look good – don't upstage me”

• “feel free to take risks – but don’t fail”

Model Obstacle

Dealing with an excessive gossiper

• Research shows to be:

• intelligent, engaged, disgruntled

• often in conflict with others,

• not being listened to and unchallenged

• have less stable workplace relationships

• Must challenge them – not blame but understand what

reasons are for dissatisfaction

• if to do with anxiety offer to provide extra help – counselling.

reclaiming the power of gossip

• consider for a moment

• someone you know who stays away from the gossip

• someone who is known as a gossip

• how to survive

• keep your Price Earnings (P/E) ratio low!

• save political capital

• accept responsibility for developing authentic relationships

• practice the art of detachment

• Remember to criticise to the face and compliment

behind someone's back!

For the organisation

• Communicate better: gossip fills a void

• Foster culture of civility in the org

• training programmes – dealing with people, conflict resolution,

negotiation, awareness training (self)

• 360 degree appraisals

• Effective background checks on people when interviewing

• Promote organisational justice

• Provide coping mechanisms for stress and boredom;

• flexible work schedules, career development paths, clear roles and

responsibilities, improve job designs (variety, start to finish, ability to

impact others, feedback on performance)