Is your company grapevine working for or against you?

Every organization has a grapevine—an informal communication channel that employees rely on for news about what’s really going on within the company. And every company has unofficial leaders who may not show up on the organizational chart, but have the trust of fellow employees and always seem to know what’s going on.

Most corporate leaders view the grapevine with suspicion because they don’t use it to their advantage. They don’t realize that formalizing the grapevine and using it strategically can open up new lines of communication and facilitate culture change.

I learned the power of formalizing the grapevine years ago, when I worked with Oakleigh Thorne, then president and CEO of CCH. We instituted a program called "Just Ask Me," which included about 60 employees throughout the company. We provided training on how to defuse emotions and deal with tough questions, rumors and hostility.

We kept the Just Ask Me squad up to date and communicated with them before using traditional channels. The program was a huge success in gaining trust and increasing the credibility of company leadership. Within six months, interactions went from hostile to constructive, as employees provided suggestions to improve processes and solve problems.

We quickly learned that the grapevine could be transformed from a source of misinformation, disinformation and gossip to a powerful aid in transforming the culture. Consequently, “formalizing the grapevine” has become a staple in change programs orchestrated by the Center for High Performance. We have used this strategy in a variety of situations, from unveiling a new strategy to layoffs.

CfHP had the opportunity to work with Sonny Garg soon after he became president of Exelon Power in August 2010. At the time that organization was facing serious challenges, internal and external. Plants were closing, the company appeared to be shrinking and rumors of its demise were rampant.

In early 2011, Garg brought in CfHP to train leaders and managers to create an open, honest, non-punitive environment where new ideas could take root. Under Garg’s leadership, the company created an “Answering the Call” campaign to encourage communication and bring water cooler conversations into the meeting room.

"We took people who are well trusted by their peers and made them conduits for information," Garg explained. "We built a stronger sense of trust between leadership and employees. People want to feel that they have access to information. We treat them like adults."

It worked. Before-and-after surveys showed employee engagement and commitment to the company increased measurably as a result of the campaign.

Rather than spending time and energy to squelch the grapevine, think about using it to work for you.