Best Paper Award for Lea Ellwardt, Rafael Wittek, and Rudi Wielers

The article "Talking About the Boss: Effects of Generalized and Interpersonal Trust on Workplace Gossip" by Lea Ellwardt, Rafael Wittek, and Rudi Wielers, published in the Journal Group and Organization Management (http://intl-gom.sagepub.com), has received the journal's 2012 best paper award in the category "micro level studies".

This study developed and tested a relational theory of positive and negative gossip about managers. It is argued that spreading information about managers depends on trust in organizations, more specifically the employees’ generalized and interpersonal trust in managers and colleagues. Hypotheses were tested by conducting two studies in a medium-sized Dutch child care organization, namely, an employee survey (N = 132) and a network study at two sites (N = 58). Multiple regressions and cross-sectional social network analysis (exponential random graph modeling [ERGM]) revealed that negative gossip about managers increases when employees have low trust, nonfriendly relationships, and infrequent contact with the managers. This effect is further enhanced when contactsbetween employees are trusting and frequent. Implications for theories about management and organizations are discussed.

Ellwardt, L., R. Wittek, R. Wielers (2012). Talking About the Boss: Effects of Generalized and Interpersonal Trust on Workplace Gossip. Group and Organization Management 37 (4): 519 - 547