Office gossip. Hushed conversations at the water cooler, in cubicles, behind closed office doors. We’ve all seen it, heard it, and, let’s admit it, participated in it! The “grapevine” is unstoppable.

But it’s not just rumors and scandals being shared, is it? Think about the real information that you get from co-workers – it goes beyond restaurant recommendations and movie reviews (sidenote: “My Week with Marilyn” was a real treat).  Colleagues are accessible, immediate, and trusted sources for customer information, and the informal network is one of the most efficient ways that information is passed along in organizations.

That might strike terror into the Market Researcher’s heart: can you imagine how accurate that information is? While “crowd-sourcing” might be trendy, people’s experiences are liable to all sorts of biases that Research knows to avoid – exactly what is the “grapevine” saying?

While it may be tempting to shut down or limit the grapevine in response, instead, make it work for you! Small tweaks to your communication – informed by research undertaken by our sister council, the Communications Executive Council – can increase the likelihood that people will pass along YOUR information the next time they’re chatting with their co-workers.

MREB members, learn more about how to create flow-friendly communication.