In addition, neutral gossip did not seem to fulfill any social function characteristic of workplace gossip, other than the exchange of information (regulations) and the application of group rules, suggesting that this is less consistent behavior. Gossip for entertainment purposes is captured by the entertainment code and consists of a fun or humorous exchange (Foster, 2004; Grosser et al. Similarly, throughout a conversation, workplace gossip can fulfill multiple social functions that may change depending on the content. As the first defining characteristic, the informal nature of gossip denotes that gossip usually occurs outside the organization's control.
When Alex says something negative about Addison behind his back that he would never say to his face, it's gossip. Non-verbal and paralinguistic cues, such as facial expressions (saying something “positive but rolling your eyes”) or tone of voice (literal words are kind, but tone of voice is aggressive) add multiple layers to the gossip statement that alternate in meaning. Identify the impact on people and the organization Unfortunately, the doorbell doesn't ring when conversations turn into gossip. In other words, gossip tends to be associated with confidential conversations between trusted co-workers.
We observed that negative gossip was often characterized by the use of linguistic coverages (Lakoff, 197), which means that, apparently, negative gossip was often incorporated into sentences to take advantage of or justify negative evaluation. The roles weren't mutually exclusive, so multiple roles could be assigned to the same gossip event. Neutral gossip in the observed context of information-oriented meetings was not spontaneous, but seemed to be part of the official agenda of the meetings (e.g.
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