Grapevine is an Integral Part of Informal Communication

"Grapevine is an Integral Part of 
Informal  Communication"
Illustration of the Above Statement

Grapevine is a term used in the civil war to describe the telegraph lines strung loosely from tree to tree and resembling a grapevine. It arises from the social and personal interests of people rather than the formal requirements of an organization
 
grapevine communication
 
The grapevine is an informal or person to person communication network of employees that is not officially sanctioned by the organization. It communicates information of special importance to employees.

The grapevine has three main characteristics and they are: 

(i) It is controlled by management.

(ii) It is perceived by most employees as being more believable and reliable than formal communication used by top management.

(iii) It is largely used to serve self-interest of those people within this.

In modern organization, grapevine is oral communication that carries a variety of social and work-related news and tends to be rather accurate and faster than most formal communication.

The grapevine appears to be universal phenomenon, a manifestation of informal organization and therefore capable of benefiting as well as harming both individuals and organizations. 
 
Cultivation and use of grapevine are a good way to improve communication. The grapevine represents a substantial portion of communication network. 
 
The managers work to make effective use of grapevine, by recognizing the potential members taking active part in it and by learning from it that what is going on  in the organization. If it is properly utilized, it can assist, clarify and spread messages which the managers wish to convey to the members.

From the above discussion, We can conclude that grapevine or grapevine communication is really an integral part of informal communication system.