Power Distance Leads to Corporate Grapevine: The Mediating Role of Perceptions of Uncertainty
Nil Selenay Erden · Journal of multidisciplinary research · 2013
The aim of this study was to investigate the phenomenon of grapevine from the standpoint of organizations. Accordingly, organizations with a high power distance could experience more information loss in communication flow between hierarchical levels, which could give rise to perceptions of uncertainty. One can think that high power distance could increase perceptions of uncertainty due to information losses. Those information losses would create gaps in the formal communication, and rumors that form the corporate grapevine would fill those gaps. In this respect, the current article tests the direction and nature of the relationships between power distance perceptions of uncertainty and grapevine. Results confirm that power distance increases the amount of grapevine through perceptions of uncertainty in a Turkish sample of workers. The article also discusses implications for further studies.Keywordsgrapevine, rumor, power distance, perceptions of uncertaintyAbstractIntroductionCommunication quality is one of the major components of corporate success due to its role in fulfilling corporate functions, problem solving, decision making, and information exchange. Communication lies at the center of human interactions. One can think that organizations are corporate systems made up of human interaction and communication. In this respect, formal and informal communication taking place in an organization are an essential component of organizational functioning (Eroglu, 2006). As an organization grows larger, the hierarchical levels would increase in the number, enlarging formal communication channels well. As channels of communication would increase in number, the likelihood of information gaps also would increase. Accordingly, informal communication networks that occur naturally, namely, the corporate grapevine would lessen the information loss in the formal communication channels (Nicoll, 1994).The uncertainty reduction theory (Berger & Calabrese, 1975) assumes people have a tendency to know about the future well have a desire to know about what already is taking place in their environment. Verbal and non-verbal communication, well dissimilarity, cause uncertainty, which characterizes the interaction process between two strangers (Bradac, 2006). As such, uncertainty boosts the desire to know more, basically because uncertainty can create discomfort well anxiety (Morrison, 2002). Thus, people often would engage in information seeking behaviors to cope with undesirable consequences of uncertainty (Knobloch & Solomon, 2002). The current study attempts to carry this phenomenon, uncertainty reduction in the interaction process that takes place between individuals to an organizational context. Since perceptions of uncertainty increase information sharing decreases, workers may tend to know and explain what is uncertain by means of rumors through the corporate grapevine (Hargie, Tourish, & Wilson, 2002). Therefore, uncertainty would trigger the desire to know more about what is uncertain, leading to an informal communication network of corporate grapevine. Specifically, the present article attempts to draw attention to power distance it could be an important factor that influences perceptions of uncertainty with the hierarchical levels and psychological distance it creates among the members of an organization.Theoretical BackgroundInformal communication is an inevitable aspect of organizational life. No matter how well the formal communication works, people will engage in peer talks informally to fulfill the need of socialization. In informal communication networks, people exchange rumors and gossip. Rumor is a cluster of information that flows between people. A rumor can be correct or incorrect, but would be uncertain, as rumors are characterized by the desire of interpreting undefined or threatening situations (Clegg & Iterson, 2009, p. …