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Enjoying Your Work Richard Brislin |
Rumors fly around
organizations in the
absence of solid informationIn recent years, 30 stores in the "Music Is Us" chain had become established in California and Oregon. The owner of the stores, Jack Davis, wanted to appeal to amateur and professional vocalists and instrumentalists who wanted to expand their repertoires. He also had a good market among parents of schoolchildren who needed good-quality but reasonably priced ukuleles, harmonicas and recorders for their music classes.
In the early summer of 2003, however, sales seemed to be in decline. "Maybe musicians have enough materials to expand their horizons, and maybe neighbors are sharing their children's instruments with each other," Jack suggested to his management team. Looking at the performance of various stores, Jack identified three that might have to be downsized or possibly closed.
Before taking such steps, however, he wanted to wait for "back to school" shoppers who might buy materials for their schoolchildren. He asked his management team to keep these plans confidential because he did not want to upset his employees.
Two weeks later, Mark began to hear stories about the future of "Music Is Us." The stories bore no resemblance to reality. "The rumor mills have been working overtime," he complained.
Rumors are circulated about important issues when there is an absence of solid information. Jack's first mistake was thinking that the plans for possible store closings would stay within his management team. Someone from the team will talk. One might tell a tennis-playing friend, who will then tell a neighbor. The neighbor, shopping at a "Music Is Us" store, will mention it to an employee. There are predictable patterns rumors will follow. The most crucial details, such as store closings and subsequent loss of jobs, will be sharpened. These will become the central part of repeated communications of the rumor. These details will become intensified. The plans to downsize or close three stores will grow to 10 stores in repeated retellings. The number of jobs affected will grow.
Aspects of Jack's thinking that seem peripheral, and that might lessen the emotional impact of the rumor will be downplayed, a process known as "leveling." For example, Jack's plan to wait for people to begin their school shopping will be eliminated from the rumor, much as bumps in hills will be leveled prior to building a road. The resulting rumor will be short, precise and easy to communicate in everyday language.
Rumors also will be combined with other impressions and stories that are circulating within an organization.
If workers have observed that Jack seems to be very friendly with a female store manager, then the rumors will include the observation that her job is safe. These additional details are likely to be colorful, intriguing or (to use nontechnical language) "juicy."
The way to combat rumors is to provide substitutes for them in the form of clear and helpful communications. Realizing that rumors are unpreventable, Jack should let his employees know about company problems and what is being done to address them.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
The purpose of this column is to increase understanding of human behavior as it has an impact on the workplace. Given the amount of time people spend at work, job satisfaction should ideally be high and it should contribute to general life happiness. Enjoyment can increase as people learn more about workplace psychology, communication, and group influences.
Richard Brislin is a professor in the College of Business Administration, University of Hawaii. He can be reached through the College Relations Office: cro@cba.hawaii.edu