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According to one observer, electronic links help forge a sense of belonging. Researchers
find that electronic-mail users are more likely to feel committed to their jobs than do the
unplugged. No similar data yet exist for groupware, but anecdotal evidence so far suggests it
creates an even more powerful sense of belonging.

Informal Communication Channels
The formal communication channels designed by management are not the only means of
communication in an organization Informal communication channels carry casual, social, and
personal messages on a regular basis in or around the workplace. These channels are often
called, collectively, the grapevine. Informal communication channels disseminate rumors,
gossip, accurate as well as inaccurate information, and, on occasion, official messages.
Anyone inside or outside an organization can originate a grapevine message. Grapevine
messages are transmitted in many ways-face-face and by telephone, e-mail, or fax.
Messages transmitted through informal channels usually result from incomplete
information from official sources, environmental influences in the organization or outside it, and
the basic human needs to socialize and stay informed. When changes occur, people like to
speculate about what they will mean. When people feel insecure or fearful because of
cutbacks and layoffs, rumors fly about what will happen next. When someone is absent from
the job, friends and co-workers want to know why. People who are the first to know something
special usually want to share their new knowledge with others. Figure 2 shows how messages
might travel through the grapevine.

Figure 2

The grapevine has a number of characteristics:
 It can penetrate the tightest security.
 It is fast (with or without electronic links).
 It tends to carry messages from anonymous sources.
 Its messages are difficult to stop or counter once they get started.
 It is accessible to every person in an organization.
 It can he supportive of or an obstacle to management's efforts.
In most organizations, relatively few individuals disseminate most of the grapevine
messages. These people create networks through which the messages are carried. Managers
need to be attuned to the grapevine—that is, they should be aware of the messages it carries