<P> Spontaneity: Grapevine communication is spontaneous as it is passed automatically from the top level of the organization to the bottom level without any difficulty in delivering the message . It is used by management to spread information that either cannot be shared officially or in an attempt to test the waters . </P> <P> Cheap: It does not require any funds to take place . However, it can cost you money if there are negative consequences of messages being garbled in transmission from person to person, or if a person (s) fails to receive the message through some misunderstanding, such as others believing they were already informed, since there is no control over or record kept of the communication and thus no idea of who heard it, when they heard it, or even what they actually heard . </P>

Where did the term through the grapevine come from