Journal
SOCIAL NETWORKS
Volume 34, Issue 2, Pages 193-205Publisher
ELSEVIER
DOI: 10.1016/j.socnet.2011.11.003
Keywords
Gossip; Informal networks; Work groups; Social status; ERGM; Exponential random graph modeling
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Gossip is informal talking about colleagues. Taking a social network perspective, we argue that group boundaries and social status in the informal workplace network determine who the objects of positive and negative gossip are. Gossip networks were collected among 36 employees in a public child care organization, and analyzed using exponential random graph modeling (ERGM). As hypothesized, both positive and negative gossip focuses on colleagues from the own gossiper's work group. Negative gossip is relatively targeted, with the objects being specific individuals, particularly those low in informal status. Positive gossip, in contrast, is spread more evenly throughout the network. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available