Journal article
More than idle talk: Examining the effects of positive and negative team gossip
Journal of organizational behavior, Vol.42(5), pp.604-618
06/01/2021
DOI: 10.1002/job.2522
Abstract
Gossip is a behavior that has been traditionally viewed as harmful in organizations. However, a more balanced perspective has emerged in recent years that suggests gossip can have important benefits. We propose that one way to uncover potential benefits of gossip in teams is to focus on the valence (positive or negative nature) of the gossip. Drawing on expectancy theory, we propose that team gossip indirectly influences team performance through social loafing because it plays a key role in shaping beliefs about effort in team contexts-effects determined by team gossip valence. We hypothesize that positive team gossip decreases social loafing, whereas negative team gossip increases it. In turn, we expect that through social loafing, positive team gossip has a positive indirect effect on team performance, whereas negative team gossip has a negative indirect effect. We test these predictions in a sample of 63 self-managing teams. We find support for our predictions regarding positive team gossip but not regarding negative team gossip. Our findings point to the potential benefits of gossip and highlight why efforts to abolish gossip in organizations may impair team effort and performance.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- More than idle talk: Examining the effects of positive and negative team gossip
- Creators
- Trevor M. Spoelma - University of New MexicoAndrea L. Hetrick - University of New Mexico
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of organizational behavior, Vol.42(5), pp.604-618
- DOI
- 10.1002/job.2522
- ISSN
- 0894-3796
- eISSN
- 1099-1379
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Number of pages
- 15
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 06/01/2021
- Academic Unit
- Management and Entrepreneurship
- Record Identifier
- 9984936819602771
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