組織中八卦／傳聞的理論初探

An Exploratory Analysis of Gossip and Grapevine in Organizations

黃煥榮(Huan-Jung Huang)

《中國行政評論》 16卷1期 (2007/12) Pp. 61-93

https://doi.org/10.6635/cpar.2007.16(1).03

摘要

本文主要探討組織行為中重要卻被忽略的主題－非正式溝通，即八卦和傳聞等活動。因組織中八卦／傳聞包羅萬象，概念複雜難以界定，且牽涉道德上的爭議，故其研究有其困難性。八卦／傳聞常被管理者視為是對組織有害的現象；但實際上，八卦／傳聞不僅是組織最普遍的溝通形式，其亦提供許多正向的功能。這些功能包括能夠以更快速的方式傳遞資訊給組織的成員，能夠測試組織成員對於組織或管理新政策或措施的反應；此外，八卦／傳聞亦能夠增強組織的團結和凝聚力，甚至工作生產力的提昇等。由於組織中八卦／傳聞的研究尚在起步的階段，仍有許多未開發的領域，故值得進一步研究和探索。
本文先從過去文獻進行檢閱，說明八卦／傳聞的意義，並與相關的概念做一比較；其次就八卦／傳聞的功能、類型及散佈方式進行討論；接著分析八卦／傳聞的形成與發展，就其前因和後果進行探討，並評析組織對八卦／傳聞的管理策略；然後歸納出本研究的分析架構。
在本文的分析架構中，從兩個層面進行分析：首先，就八卦／傳聞的前因進行分析，這是將八卦／傳聞視為依變項，探討個人因素（包含性別、教育程度及人格特質）與組織因素（包括組織情境、組織文化和科技因素）對八卦／傳聞之影響；其次，則將八卦／傳聞視為自變項，探討其對組織績效等方面的影響；最後則討論管理者應採行的管理策略；並希望透過較周延和系統性的探究，建立未來此方面研究的基礎。

關鍵字

八卦 ； 傳聞 ； 組織行為 ； 非正式溝通 ； 知識移轉

並列摘要

This paper attempts to investigate an important topic in organizational behavior that hitherto, has not received enough attention-informal communications, including gossip and grapevine activities. Gossip/grapevine is a disparate phenomenon, difficult to define, conceptually complex and resistant to paradigmatic summing up.
Drawing on literature from multiple disciplines the proposal provides an analysis of the role played by gossip/grapevine within organizations. It is not difficult to see how gossip/grapevine processes can contribute to a better understanding of other subjects of interest to organizational behaviorists. Informal communication, gossip in particular, tends to take place between friends or within particular functional groupings within organizations. In turn, this reinforces the social bond of the participants, thus helping to preserve group solidarity. Moreover, and in spite of the tendency to ascribe gossip/grapevine as morally reprehensive, not all of these outcomes are shown to be harmful within organizations. This proposal argues that scholars and managers alike ought to avoid making negative judgments about gossip/grapevine in all such cases.
The author further outlines an agenda for research on gossip/grapevine in organizations, paying careful attention to a number of individual-level and organizational-level variables, and discussing both antecedent and outcome variables that are associated with organizational gossip and grapevine. Moreover, and in spite of the tendency to ascribe gossip and grapevine as morally reprehensible, not all of these outcomes are shown to be harmful within organizations. Consequently, as a subject, gossip demands greater attention in the future in terms of theory and empirical research.

並列關鍵字

Gossip ； Grapevine ； Organizational behavior ； Informal communication ； Knowledge transfer