The Sources of Organizational Gossips in Schools
top of page
Asian Institute of Research, Journal Publication, Journal Academics, Education Journal, Asian Institute
Asian Institute of Research, Journal Publication, Journal Academics, Education Journal, Asian Institute

Education Quarterly Reviews

ISSN 2621-5799

asia institute of research, journal of education, education journal, education quarterly reviews, education publication, education call for papers
asia institute of research, journal of education, education journal, education quarterly reviews, education publication, education call for papers
asia institute of research, journal of education, education journal, education quarterly reviews, education publication, education call for papers
asia institute of research, journal of education, education journal, education quarterly reviews, education publication, education call for papers
crossref
doi
open access

Published: 30 April 2021

The Sources of Organizational Gossips in Schools

Bünyamin Han

Kütahya Dumlupınar University (Turkey)

asia institute of research, journal of education, education journal, education quarterly reviews, education publication, education call for papers
pdf download

Download Full-Text Pdf

doi

10.31014/aior.1993.04.02.222

Pages: 15-24

Keywords: Gossip, Informal Communication, Teacher, School

Abstract

Informal and evaluative speech about a person who is not present in a conversation environment is defined as gossip. Gossip is one of the informal forms of communication that is also important in school life, because schools have an intense network of communication. This research aims to detect the sources of organizational gossips in schools that have the potential to harm organizational functioning. A descriptive survey model was applied in the research. Gossip Sources Questionnaire (GSQ) prepared by the researcher was used to investigate the topic. In the research the factors causing gossips in schools are classified as; individual factors stemming from the people themselves, social factors arising from the social environment in which the individuals stay and organizational factors arising from the characteristics of the organizational structure of the workplace. According to the teacher views individual features such as jealousy, envy, unethical behaviors, curiosity, vanity and aimlessness are the most common sources of gossips in schools. At the end of the research, there are some suggestions for teachers and principals about coping techniques of organizational gossips.

References

  1. Arabacı, İ. B., Sünkür, M., & Şimşek, F. Z. (2012). Öğretmenlerin dedikodu ve söylenti mekanizmasına ilişkin görüşleri [Teachers’ views regarding gossip and rumour mechanism]. Journal of Educational Administration in Theory and Practice, 18(2), 171-190.

  2. Babalola, M. T., Ren, S., Kobinah, T., Qu, Y. E., Garba, O. A., & Guo, L. (2019). Negative workplace gossip: Its impact on customer service performance and moderating roles of trait mindfulness and forgiveness. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 80, 136-143.

  3. Bahar, E. (2016). İletişim [Communication]. Ankara, Turkey: Detay Basım ve Yayıncılık.

  4. Berkos, K. M. (2003). The effects of message direction and sex differences on the interpretation of workplace gossip. PhD Dissertation, Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University, USA.

  5. Bordia, P. & Rosnow, R. L. (1998). Rumor rest stops on the information highway transmission patterns in a computer- mediated rumor chain. Human Communication Research.25(2), 163-179.

  6. Brady, D. L., Brown, D. J., & Liang, L. H. (2017). Moving beyond assumptions of deviance: The reconceptualization and measurement of workplace gossip. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(1), 1–25.

  7. Brondino, N., Fusar-Poli, L. & Politi, P. (2016). Something to talk about: Gossip increases oxytocin levels in a near real-life situation. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 77, 218-224.

  8. Büyüköztürk, Ş., Kılıç-Çakmak, E., Akgün, Ö. E., Karadeniz, Ş. & Demirel, F. (2011). Bilimsel araştırma yöntemleri [Scientific research methods]. Ankara, Turkey: Pegem Akademi yayıncılık.

  9. DiFonzo, N. & Bordia, P. (2007). Rumor psychology: Social and organizational approaches. American Psychological Association, 750 First Street, NE Washington, DC.

  10. DiFonzo, N., Bordia, P., & Rosnow, R. L. (1994). Reining in rumors. Organizational Dynamics, 23, 47-62.

  11. Ditmarsch, H., Van Eijck, J., Pardo, P., Ramezanian, R., & Schwarzentruber, F. (2017). Epistemic protocols for dynamic gossip. Journal of Applied Logic. 20, 1-31.

  12. Doğan, H. (2002). İşgörenlerin adalet algılamalarında örgüt içi iletişim ve prosedürel bilgilendirmenin rolü [The role of intra-organizational communication and procedural information in employees' perceptions of justice]. Ege Academic Review, 2(2), 71-78.

  13. Dunbar, R. I. M. (2004). Gossip in evolutionary perspective. Review of General Psychology. 8(2), 100.

  14. Eckhaus, E., & Ben-Hador, B. (2019). Gossip and gender differences: a content analysis approach. Journal of Gender Studies, 28(1), 97-108.

  15. Eşkin-Bacaksız, F. & Yıldırım, A. (2015). Dedikodu ve söylentiler: Hastanelerdeki durum ve hemşirelerin tutumlari [Gossip and rumors: The situation in hospitals and attitudes of nurses]. Journal of Health and Nursing Management, 3 (2), 113-120.

  16. Foster, E. K. (2004). Research on gossip: Taxonomy, methods, and future directions. Review of General Psychology. 8 (2), 78.

  17. Gabriels, K. & Backer, C. J. (2016). Virtual gossip: How gossip regulates moral life in virtual worlds. Computers in Human Behavior. 63, 683-693.

  18. Grosser, T. J., Lopez-Kidwell, V. & Labianca, G. (2010). A social network analysis of positive and negative gossip in organizational life. Group & Organization Management. 35(2) 177–212.

  19. Guerin, B. & Miyazaki, Y. (2006). Analyzing rumors, gossip, and urban legends through their conversational properties. Psychological Record. 56(1), 23.

  20. Han, B. & Dağlı, A. (2018). Organizational gossip scale: Validity and reliability study. Electronic Turkish Studies, 13 (27).

  21. Han, B. (2020a). Öğretmen adaylarının söylenti ve dedikoduya yönelik metaforik algıları [The metaphorical perceptions of prospective teachers towards rumor and gossip]. Journal of History School, 47, 2311-2337.

  22. Han, B. (2020b). Örgütsel söylenti ve dedikodu yönetimi [Management of organizational rumor and gossip]. Ankara, Turkey: Pegem Yayınları.

  23. Karasar, N. (1998). Bilimsel araştırma yöntemi: Kavramlar-ilkeler-teknikler [Scientific research method: Concepts-principles-techniques]. Ankara, Turkey: Nobel Yayın Dağıtım.

  24. Kniffin, K. V. & Wilson, D. S. (2005). Utilities of gossip across organizational levels. Human Nature, 16(3), 278-292.

  25. Kong, M. (2018). Effect of perceived negative workplace gossip on employees’ behaviors. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 1112.

  26. Kuo, C. C., Wu, C. Y., & Lin, C. W. (2018). Supervisor workplace gossip and its impact on employees. Journal of Managerial Psychology. 33(1), 93-105

  27. Kurland, N. B. & Pelled, L. H. (2000). Passing the word: Toward a model of gossip and power in the workplace. The Academy of Management Review, 25(2), 428.

  28. Litman, J. A., Huang, C. H., & Chang, H. T. (2009). Development and validation of a Chinese version of the attitudes towards gossip scale. Journal of Psychology in Chinese Societies, 10(2), 131.

  29. Luna, A., & Chou, S. Y. (2013). Drivers for workplace gossip: An application of the theory of planned behavior. Journal of Organizational Culture, Communications and Conflict, 17(1), 115.

  30. Michelson, G. & Mouly, S. (2002). ‘You didn’t hear it from us but…’: Towards an understanding of rumour and gossip in organisations. Australian Journal of Management, 27, Special Issue 2002.

  31. Mills, C. (2010). Experiencing gossip: The foundations for a theory of embedded organizational gossip. Group & Organization Management. XX(X) 1–28.

  32. Noon, M. & Delbridge, R. (1993). News from behind my hand: Gossip in organizations. Organization Studies. 14(1), 23-36.

  33. Oxford Dictionary. (2019). https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/gossip

  34. Savarimuthu, S., Purvis, M., Purvis, M., & Savarimuthu, B. T. R. (2013). Gossip-based self-organising agent societies and the impact of false gossip. Minds and Machines, 23(4), 419-441.

  35. Smith, L. C., Lucas, K. J., & Latkin, C. (1999). Rumor and gossip: Social discourse on HIV and AIDS. Anthropology & Medicine, 6(1), 121-131.

  36. Solmaz, B. (2004). Söylentilerin kurumsal iletişim açısından değerlendirilmesi ve bir uygulama örneği [The evaluatıon of rumors in terms of corporate communication and an application]. Selçuk Communication. 3 (3), 120-127.

  37. Solmaz, B. (2006). Dedikodu ve söylenti yönetimi [Management of gossip and rumor]. Selçuk University Journal of Social Sciences Institute, 16, 563-575.

  38. Stewart, P. J. & Strathern, A. (2004). Witchcraft, sorcery, rumors, and gossip.Cambridge University Press.

  39. Thomas, S.A & Rozell, E. J. (2007). Gossip and nurses: Malady or remedy?. Health Care Management. 26 (2), 111-5.

  40. Tian, Q. T., Song, Y., Kwan, H. K., & Li, X. (2019). Workplace gossip and frontline employees’ proactive service performance. The Service Industries Journal, 39(1), 25-42.

  41. Vaidyanathan, B., Khalsa, S., & Ecklund, E. H. (2016). Gossip as social control: Informal sanctions on ethical violations in scientific workplaces. Social Problems, 63(4), 554-572.

  42. Waddington, K. (2005). Using diaries to explore the characteristics of work-related gossip: Methodological considerations from exploratory multimethod research. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 78, 221–236

  43. Wilkie, D. (2019). Workplace gossip: What crosses the line. Society for Human Resource Management. Accessed from https://www.shrm.org.

  44. Wu, J., Balliet, D., & Van Lange, P. A. (2016). Reputation management: Why and how gossip enhances generosity. Evolution and Human Behavior. 37(3), 193-201.

bottom of page