Leader humor and employee creativity: a model integrating pragmatic and affective roles

Abstract

This study developed an integrative model to investigate the relationship between leader humor and employee creativity through pragmatic and affective effects in the Chinese context. Through a time-lagged field study of 358 employees and their direct supervisors in 35 Chinese high-tech enterprises, we find support that leader humor is positively related to employee creativity; the mediators of this relationship are employees’ task resources and affective commitment to their organizations. We also examine the moderating roles of employees’ perspective taking in the relationships between leader humor and the mediating variables. In addition, we find support for the full-moderated mediation model that perspective taking moderates the mediating effect of task resources on the relationship between leader humor and employee creativity. This study makes insightful contributions and implications to the field of leader humor and employee creativity.