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Perceptions of office gossip amongst diverse groups in the workplace
Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2011.
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University of Pretoria
2013
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| _version_ | 1867613434937344000 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Carrim, Nasima M.H. |
| author_browse | Carrim, Nasima M.H. |
| author_facet | Carrim, Nasima M.H. |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2011 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria |
| description | Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2011. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/24854 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:36:05.775Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2013 |
| publishDateRange | 2013 |
| publishDateSort | 2013 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/24854 Perceptions of office gossip amongst diverse groups in the workplace Carrim, Nasima M.H. upetd@up.ac.za Gerber, Lise Gossip Office gossip Race Culture Gender Communication UCTD Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2011. Purpose– The purpose of this study was to determine whether there is a difference in the perceptions of diverse individuals, from different racial groups and genders, regarding office gossip. Design– This paper followed a qualitative interpretivist research design, and content analysis was used to analyse the transcribed data. Findings– The findings indicate that the perceptions of office gossip are not gender specific, whereas there were indications of race specific perceptions related to office gossip. A definition of office gossip was compiled and the nature of and the participants in office gossip were identified, while the reasons why people gossip in the workplace and the impact of gossip on an organisation and its employees were emphasised. Furthermore, the characteristics that can be used to draw a line between healthy communication and gossip were identified. Research limitations– The limitations of this study were that the results were limited to the respondents and the specific work context used. In addition, seeing that the focus of this study was the diverse perspectives of individuals from different genders and racial groups, other factors, such as personal and organisational factors that could also have influenced their perceptions of office gossip, were not considered. Practical implications– The results of this study should alert employers to the need for controlling office gossip effectively. Also, formal channels of communication should be utilised effectively to ensure that the grapevine is not misused. Furthermore, employers need to develop a policy against malicious office gossip which should be contextsensitive and detailed. Because gossip is not gender specific, attention also should be given to gossip across genders. Lastly, culture-sensitivity training could prevent different cultures gossiping about one another. Originality– This paper makes a contribution to the literature on gossip in organisations, as there is little known research in South Africa or elsewhere that explores the diverse perceptions of office gossip among employees from different racial groups. Human Resource Management unrestricted 2013-09-06T18:35:36Z 2013-05-27 2013-09-06T18:35:36Z 2011-09-06 2011 2013-05-21 Dissertation Gerber, L 2011, Perceptions of office gossip amongst diverse groups in the workplace, MCom dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://hdl.handle.net/2263/24854 > E13/4/499/gm http://hdl.handle.net/2263/24854 http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-05212013-114338/ © 2011 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | Gossip Office gossip Race Culture Gender Communication UCTD Perceptions of office gossip amongst diverse groups in the workplace |
| title | Perceptions of office gossip amongst diverse groups in the workplace |
| title_full | Perceptions of office gossip amongst diverse groups in the workplace |
| title_fullStr | Perceptions of office gossip amongst diverse groups in the workplace |
| title_full_unstemmed | Perceptions of office gossip amongst diverse groups in the workplace |
| title_short | Perceptions of office gossip amongst diverse groups in the workplace |
| title_sort | perceptions of office gossip amongst diverse groups in the workplace |
| topic | Gossip Office gossip Race Culture Gender Communication UCTD |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/24854 http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-05212013-114338/ |