To be effective, the manager must find a way to balance formal and informal communication processes. Unofficial Communication Astute program and functional managers recognize that a great deal of communication taking place within their organizations is interpersonal. News of revised policies and procedures, memoranda, and minutes of meetings are subjects of conversation throughout the organization. These subjects often share the floor with discussions of TV shows, sports news, politics, and gossip. This rumor mill transmits information of highly varying accuracy at a remarkable speed.
Employees take part in the grapevine process to the extent that they form groups.
Any employee not considered a part of some group is apt to be left out of this unofficial communication process. The grapevine is not necessarily good or bad. It serves a useful function when it acts as a barometer of employees' feelings and attitudes. Unfortunately, the information traveling along the grapevine tends to become magnified or exaggerated. Employees then become alarmed unnecessarily by what they hear.