Gossip and emotion in nursing and health‐care organizations
- 1 August 2005
- journal article
- Published by Emerald Publishing in Journal of Health Organization and Management
- Vol. 19 (4/5), 378-394
- https://doi.org/10.1108/14777260510615404
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between gossip and emotion in health-care organizations. It draws on findings from empirical research exploring the characteristics and function of gossip which, to date, has been a relatively under-researched organizational phenomenon. Design/methodology/approach – A multidisciplinary approach was adopted, drawing on an eclectic range of discipline-based theories, skills, ideas and data. Methods included repertory grid technique, in-depth interviews and structured diary records of work-related gossip. The sample comprised 96 qualified nurses working in a range of practice areas and organizational settings in the UK. Findings – Template analysis was used to integrate findings across three phases of data collection. The findings revealed that gossip is used to express a range of emotions including care and concern about others, anger, annoyance and anxiety, with emotional outcomes that include feeling reassured and supported. It is the individual who gossips, while the organization provides the content, emotional context, triggers and opportunities. Research limitations/implications – Nurses were chosen as an information-rich source of data, but the findings may simply reflect the professional culture and practice of nursing. Future research should take into account a wider range of health-care organizational roles and perspectives in order to capture the dynamics and detail of the emotions and relationships that initiate and sustain gossip. Practical implications – Because gossip makes people feel better it may serve to reinforce the “stress mask of professionalism”, hiding issues of conflict, vulnerability and intense emotion. Managers need to consider what the emotions expressed through gossip might represent in terms of underlying issues relating to organizational health, communication and change. Originality/value – This paper makes a valuable contribution to the under-researched phenomenon of gossip in organizations and adds to the growing field of research into the role of emotion in health-care organizations and emotion work in nursing.Keywords
This publication has 28 references indexed in Scilit:
- Using diaries to explore the characteristics of work‐related gossip: Methodological considerations from exploratory multimethod researchJournal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 2005
- Behind closed doors the role of gossip in the emotional labour of nursing workInternational Journal of Work Organisation and Emotion, 2005
- ‘You Didn't Hear it From Us But…’: Towards an Understanding of Rumour and Gossip in OrganisationsAustralian Journal of Management, 2002
- Rumour and gossip in organisations: a conceptual studyManagement Decision, 2000
- Mixed Methodology: Combining Qualitative and Quantitative ApproachesContemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews, 1999
- The dynamics of rumours in the clinical settingNursing Standard, 1996
- News From Behind My Hand: Gossip in OrganizationsOrganization Studies, 1993
- Gossip as Social ComparisonJournal of Communication, 1977
- Baby Talk in Six LanguagesAmerican Anthropologist, 1964
- Papers in Honor of Melville J. Herskovits: Gossip and ScandalCurrent Anthropology, 1963