The purpose of this study is to explore the perception of leaders in organizations about grapevine communication and how they leverage it to enhance outcomes. Though the grapevine is considered at times to be unreliable or informal, it plays a key role in organizational dynamics. Through semi-structured interviews with 17 leaders from 5 sectors, this study identifies key themes for the functional and strategic use of informal communication networks within organizations. Findings show that leaders may leverage the grapevine as an intelligence tool to understand employee sentiment, capture early warning indicators, and collate direct feedback that may not arise through formal channels. Additionally, the study examines how leaders seed information through this informal network to reinforce organizational culture, assess employees' reactions to forthcoming changes, and influence narratives. The study also uncovers challenges emerging from digital communication. The leaders emphasize the importance of transparency to build trust while leveraging the grapevine. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the grapevine and suggests that leaders should engage actively with this informal communication network for organizational outcome. This study provides practical ways leaders may navigate complex modern communication and proposes future research areas in informal communication in today’s digital age.
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