what is grapevine? discuss the advantages and disadvantages
Answers
Answer:
The advantages of informal communication are given below:
Interpret: The information is given by the top level management under the formal system. It is easy for the employees to take the explanation by informal system. So this system plays a vital role to complete the work properly.
Present grievance: Under the informal system the employees disclose their needs, sentiment and their emotions to others authority without feeling any hesitation.
Alternate system: The management sometimes does not able to reach all information by formal system. Informal system covers the gap or familiarity of formal system.
Improved relationship: Any problem between the workers and the management can be solved by informal system. So it makes good relationships among the employees and the management.
Increase efficiency: Under the informal system, the employees discuss their problem openly and they can solve it. For this, the work is done properly and it develops the efficiency of the employee.
Providing recommendation: In this system the employees inform their superior about their demands, problem and the way to develop the implementation system of the work. As a result it creates an opportunity to send the recommendation to their management.
Flexibility: Informal communication is more flexible than formal communication because it is free from all type of formalities.
Rapid communication: Informal communication transmits very fast. Especially miss-information or rumor spread rapidly to others in the organization.
Improve interpersonal relationship: Cooperation and coordination in informal communication leads to improve interpersonal relationship which is very much essential to carry out the business activity smoothly.
Others: Improve labor management relationship. Free flow of information. Remove mental distance. Evaluation of employees. Obtain immediate feedback. Reliving frustration. Increasing efficiency. Solution of problems and helping decision-making. Enhance mutual trust etc.
Disadvantages of grapevine or informal communication
The disadvantages of informal communication are as follows:
Distort meaning: Something the meaning and the subject matter of the information is distorted in this system.
Spread rumor: In this system, the miss-information or rumor spread rapidly. The original information may be transformed to wrong information.
Misunderstanding: Under this system, generally, the employees do not obey the formal authorization system. So it creates the opportunity to develop misunderstanding.
Maintaining secrecy is impossible: In informal communication system maximum communication is made by open discussion. So it is impossible to maintain the secrecy of the information.
Difficulty in controlling: Under informal communication system no established rules or policy is obeyed. So it is very much difficult to control the information.
Non-cooperation: Informal communication system sometimes develops the adversary culture among the employees. So they are not to be cooperative with each other and their efficiency may be reduced.
Others: Providing partial information. Not reliable. No documentary evidence. Damaging discipline. Contradicting to formal information etc.