A Phenomenological Research on Employees’ Perception of Organizational Gossip in The Education Sector
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63556/tisej.2025.1525Keywords:
Organizational Gossip, Workplace Gossip, Gossip, Rumor, Informal communication, Oranizational Gossip, Workplace Gossip, Gossip, Rumor, Informan CommunicationAbstract
The aim of this study is to deeply examine all aspects of the concept of organizational gossip through the perception of the participants. In line with this purpose, the phenomenology design, one of the qualitative research designs, was used to guide the research. The sample of the study consists of 24 female employees working in different positions in the education sector in Malatya city of Turkey. The data in the study was collected using the interview method. The obtained data were analyzed with the content analysis method. As a result of the content analysis, six themes were reached regarding the concept of organizational gossip. These themes are; Causes of organizational gossip, Time and frequency of organizational gossip, Profile of the gossiper according to demographic characteristics, Results of organizational gossip, Individual response to organizational gossip and Management of organizational gossip. The general findings that stand out in the study are as follows. In the education sector, gossip is mostly done about the individual and private lives of employees at the workplace; the intensity of gossip changes daily, weekly or periodically; gossip is done more at lower levels and among women within the organization; gossip mostly has negative consequences for both the organization and the employees, those who are exposed to gossip usually give behavioral reactions and gossip is seen as a natural but manageable problem in the workplace. It is thought that the findings obtained from this study will contribute to the literature on the concept of organizational gossip and shed light on future studies.
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