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as to the person or persons behind the Message. Managers who understand the
grapevine’s power can use it to send and receive Messages of their own. They also
decrease the grapevine’s power by sending official Messages quickly and accurately,
should big news arise.

Semantics
Semantics is the study of meaning in communication. Words can mean
different things to different people, or they might not mean anything to another
person. For example, companies often have their own acronyms and buzzwords
(called business jargon) that are clear to them but impenetrable to outsiders. For
example, at IBM, GBS is focusing on BPTS, using expertise acquired from the PwC
purchase (which had to be sold to avoid conflicts of interest in light of SOX) to fend
other BPO providers and inroads by the Bangalore tiger. Does this make sense to
you? If not, here’s the translation: IBM’s Global Business Services (GBS) division is
focusing on offering companies Business Process Transformation Services (BPTS),
using the expertise it acquired from purchasing the management consulting and
technology services arm of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), which had to sell the
division because of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX, enacted in response to the major
accounting scandals like the Enron). The added management expertise puts it above
business process outsourcing (BPO) vendors who focus more on automating
processes rather than transforming and improving them. Chief among these BPO
competitors is Wipro, often called the “Bangalore tiger” because of its geographic
origin and aggressive growth.
Given the amount of Messages we send and receive every day, it makes sense
that humans try to find shortcuts—a way to communicate things in code. In business,
this code is known as jargon. Jargon is the language of specialized terms used by a
group or profession. It is common shorthand among experts and if used sensibly can
be a quick and efficient way of communicating. Most jargon consists of unfamiliar
terms, abstract words, nonexistent words, acronyms, and abbreviations, with an
occasional euphemism thrown in for good measure. Every profession, trade, and
[8]
organization has its own specialized terms. At first glance, jargon seems like a
good thing—a quicker way to send an effective communication, the way text
message abbreviations can send common messages in a shorter, yet understandable
way. But that’s not always how things happen. Jargon can be an obstacle to effective
communication, causing listeners to tune out or fostering ill-feeling between partners
in a conversation. When jargon rules the day, the Message can get obscured.
A key question to ask before using jargon is, “Who is the Receiver of my
Message?” If you are a specialist speaking to another specialist in your area, jargon
may be the best way to send a message while forging a professional bond—similar to
the way best friends can communicate in code. For example, an information
technology (IT) systems analyst communicating with another IT employee may use
jargon as a way of sharing information in a way that reinforces the pair’s shared
knowledge. But that same conversation should be held in standard English, free of
jargon, when communicating with staff members outside the IT group.
Online Follow-Up
Here is a Web site of twenty-five buzz words in business:

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