Leader Humor Research Articles

I Am an Intelligent Leader! How and Why Leader Humor Impacts Leader’s Subsequent Behaviors

I Am an Intelligent Leader! How and Why Leader Humor Impacts Leader’s Subsequent Behaviors

Is Leader Humor a Life Buoy in the Workplace Waves? A Social Information Processing Perspective

Is Leader Humor a Life Buoy in the Workplace Waves? A Social Information Processing Perspective

How leader humor boost employee innovative behavior in stress? A cross-level moderated mediation model

How leader humor boost employee innovative behavior in stress? A cross-level moderated mediation model

Political skill amplifies the beneficial effects of leader humor on actors’ work engagement via psychological capital

Existing research provides substantial evidence of the positive effects of leader humour on followers and their teams. However, less attention has been given to understanding how such behaviour benefits leaders. This study, grounded in the Conservation of Resources theory, introduces and tests a model that clarifies the mechanisms and conditions under which leader humour benefits these individuals. The study findings, derived from data collected from 137 supervisors in an experience sampling study and 134 supervisors in a three-wave field study, consistently show a positive correlation between leader humour and leader psychological capital, which subsequently enhances leader work engagement. Moreover, the magnitude of this positive effect depends on the leader’s political skill level, with those possessing high political skill reaping greater benefits from leader humour. The results suggest that leader humour is an effective method for supervisors to gain psychological resources.

Laughing it off: How does leader humor alleviate employees’ compassion fatigue in service failure?

Compassion fatigue, which results from empathy, is associated with many negative consequences. However, limited attention has been devoted to the compassion fatigue of employees in the tourism and hospitality sector, particularly within the context of service failures. To mitigate the potential negative impact of compassion fatigue on employees, this research reveals how leader humor alleviates employees' compassion fatigue via three scenario-based experiments. Findings show that leader humor affects employees' compassion fatigue through the mediating effect of perceived organizational support. Additionally, this research uncovers the moderating roles of leader hypocrisy and power distance beliefs. Results expand the literature on compassion fatigue and leader humor. This study also offers suggestions to guide tourism and hospitality organizations in using leader humor wisely to minimize employees’ compassion fatigue, particularly among staff with low power distance beliefs and in cases of low leader hypocrisy.

Daily leader humor and healthcare workers’ next-day helping behaviors: the roles of positive affect and difficulty in maintaining display rules

PurposeThe main purpose of our study is to investigate the impact of daily leader humor behaviors on healthcare workers’ daily psychological state and behavioral outcomes.Design/methodology/approachBased on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study proposes that daily leader humor behaviors are positively related to healthcare workers’ daily positive affect, which in turn affects their next-day helping behaviors towards patients. These predictions hinge on healthcare workers’ difficulty in maintaining display rules. We conducted a lagged experience sampling methodology (ESM) survey of 621 complete daily observations from 93 healthcare workers who work in direct contact with patients at a large public hospital in China across consecutive 10 working days.FindingsResults of multilevel path analysis demonstrate that daily leader humor behaviors are positively related to healthcare workers’ same-day positive affect, and this positive affect enhances their next-day helping behaviors towards patients. Furthermore, healthcare workers’ higher difficulty in maintaining display rules attenuates the benefits of daily leader humor behaviors.Originality/valueBuilding on the COR theory and adopting a diary research design, this study shows daily fluctuations in leader humor behaviors and proposes a mechanism through which daily leader humor behaviors indirectly affect healthcare workers’ next-day helping behaviors. Thus, our study disclosed possible means for healthcare organizations to improve service quality.

The impact of leader humor on employee job crafting: a self-determination perspective

PurposeThe purpose of the research is to examine the impact of leader humor on employee job crafting. Using the insights from self-determination theory (SDT), we investigate the underlying mechanism of employees’ flow at work and the moderating role of employees’ playfulness trait.Design/methodology/approachWe adopted a three-wave field survey of 306 employees recruited from various industries. The moderated mediation model was examined using latent structural equation model analysis.FindingsResults revealed that leader humor positively affected employees’ flow at work and subsequent job crafting. Moreover, both the direct effect of leader humor on employees’ flow at work and the indirect effect of leader humor on employees’ job crafting via flow at work were amplified by employees’ playfulness trait.Practical implicationsLeaders are encouraged to use jokes and humorous language to facilitate job crafting among playful subordinates. Organizations can create a work environment conducive to flow at work through job redesign, regardless of employees’ levels of playfulness trait.Originality/valueThe paper uncovers the critical role of flow in the relationship between leader humor and employee job crafting and identifies employees’ playfulness trait as a boundary condition in which leader humor works.

Does leader humor style matter employee knowledge sharing? From the lens of emotional contagion process

PurposeThis study aims to explore the enabling and suppressing effects of leader affiliative and aggressive humor on employee knowledge sharing form the lens of emotional contagion process, which provides theoretical reference for the applications of different leader humor style, thereby enhancing employee knowledge sharing.Design/methodology/approachThis study collected three waves of data and surveyed 379 employees in China. Regression analysis, bootstrapping and latent moderation structural equation were adopted to test the hypotheses.FindingsLeader affiliative humor has a positive impact on employee knowledge sharing, whereas leader aggressive humor has a negative impact on employee knowledge sharing. Positive emotion plays a mediating role between leader affiliative humor and employee knowledge sharing, and negative emotion plays a mediating role between leader aggressive humor and employee knowledge sharing. Moreover, supervisor–subordinate Guanxi moderates the relationship between leader affiliative humor and positive emotion, and between leader aggressive humor and negative emotion, respectively.Originality/valueThis study not only adds to the knowledge sharing literature calling for the exploration of antecedents and mechanism of employee knowledge sharing, but also contributes to our comprehensive understanding of the suppressing and enabling effects of leader humor style on employee knowledge sharing. Besides, this study also unpacks the dual-path mechanism and boundary condition between leader humor style and employee knowledge sharing and augments the theoretical explanations of emotional contagion theory between leader humor style and employee knowledge sharing.

The impact of leader’s humor styles on creativity and work engagement of call center employees in Jakarta

This study aimed to analyze the impact of a leader's humor style dimensions: affiliate humor style, self-enhancing humor styles, aggressive humor styles, and self-defeating humor style on creativity and work engagement. Data collected from 138 call centers from some of the Cell Phone Companies in Jakarta. The data collection technique used in this study is non-probability sampling with a purposive sampling method. The techniques used to analyze this research are instrumental tests such as validity, reliability, and hypothesis testing using Multiple Regressions with SPSS 25. The results of hypothesis testing in this investigation indicate that there is a positive effect of affiliate humor style on creativity and work engagement, a positive effect of self-enhancing humor style to creativity and a negative effect to work engagement, an adverse effect of aggressive humor style on creativity and work engagement, and a negative effect self-defeating humor style on creativity and work engagement. Managerial implications can be given so the leaders can use appropriate humor styles to increase employee's spirit in the workplace.

When humor masks abuse: employee responses to abusive supervision through the lens of relational energy

PurposeDrawing on conservation of resources theory, this study aims to develop a resource-based model depicting a decreased level of psychological resourcefulness – relational energy, as a novel explanatory mechanism that accounts for the harm of abusive supervision, and we further investigate the role of leader humor as a boundary condition.Design/methodology/approachWe applied multilevel path analysis to test our hypotheses with three-time-point survey data collected from 226 supervisor-employee dyads in a telecommunication company in China across six months.FindingsOur results show that abusive supervision is negatively related to employee relational energy, leading to a subsequent decline in employee job performance. The predictions of the depleting effects get alleviated by leader humor.Practical implicationsThis study foregrounds the importance of employee relationship management in the workplace and reveals that some abusive supervisors may manage to sustain employee performance and relational energy by using humor in their interactions, which necessitates immediate intervention.Originality/valueThese findings offer novel insights into the deleterious impact of abusive supervision by demonstrating the critical role of relational energy in dyadic interactions. We also reveal the potential dark side of leader humor in the context of abuse in the workplace.

Is leader humor a discursive resource for predicting innovative behavior? Examining the role of pro-social motivation and personal need for structure in hospitality industry

PurposeThis research aims to extend the research on humorous leadership and the hospitality industry by using the theoretical framework of affective events theory (AET). This research aims to close this gap by recognizing that leaders' humor may inspire pro-social motivation in tourism workers and can harness the ability of employees to offer innovative ideas. The effect of leaders' humor on employees’ pro-social motivation is moderated by the personal need for structure (PNS).Design/methodology/approachA multi-source time-lagged design was employed in this research. The researchers used survey instruments to collect data from frontline employees and their immediate supervisors working in Pakistan’s two- to five-star hotels. The current study considers 279 useable responses and tested them through Hayes process macros.FindingsResults show that humorous leadership has a significant direct impact on the innovative work behavior (IWB) of hotel employees. Pro-social motivation significantly mediates the relationship between humorous leadership and IWB. Further, the PNS significantly buffers the relationship between humorous leadership and pro-social motivation.Practical implicationsFindings are vital for hotel managers to adopt a more flexible leadership style to promote the pro-social motivation and IWBs of hotel employees.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies to use pro-social motivation to explain the relationship between humorous leadership and creative work behaviors. Employees' individual needs for structure have also been utilized as a novel boundary condition. The results are essential for hotel managers to adopt a more adaptable leadership style to encourage the staff’s pro-social motivation and creative work behaviors.

Enhancing organizational identification through leader humor: the roles of positive affect and organizational justice

Enhancing organizational identification through leader humor: the roles of positive affect and organizational justice

Faking It with the Boss’s Jokes? Leader Humor Quantity, Follower Surface Acting, and Power Distance

Faking It with the Boss’s Jokes? Leader Humor Quantity, Follower Surface Acting, and Power Distance

Influence of Health Promoting Leadership and Leader Humor on Employee Innovation Performance: The Role Positive Emotions

Understanding how leadership styles conducive to employee innovation performance is one of the main focuses in organizational behavior literature. In this paper, we use broaden-and-build theory to examine how health promotes leadership and leader humor affect employee innovation performance, focusing on positive emotion mediation. By using a survey data consisting of 410 full-time employees from several large state-owned companies in China, the results indicate that both health promoting leadership and leader humor significantly relate to positive emotions among employees, which in turn, enhances their innovation performance. This article makes contributions to the literature by emphasizing the role of leadership styles in creating an environment that encourages creativity and innovation by the mechanism of positive emotions.

Research on the Influence of Leader Humor on the Proactive Behavior of Post-90s Employees—The Mediating Effect of Positive Emotions and the Moderating Effect of Leader-Member Exchange

Research on the Influence of Leader Humor on the Proactive Behavior of Post-90s Employees—The Mediating Effect of Positive Emotions and the Moderating Effect of Leader-Member Exchange

Leader humor, workplace gossip, and employee authentic self-expression: implications for employee proactive behaviors

Leader humor, workplace gossip, and employee authentic self-expression: implications for employee proactive behaviors

The role of perceived organisational support and leader humor in participative leadership and innovative work behaviour in small firms

The role of perceived organisational support and leader humor in participative leadership and innovative work behaviour in small firms

The impact of leaders’ affiliative humor and aggressive humor on the workplace ostracism: a serial mediation model

ABSTRACT This study investigated the impact of leader humor on workplace ostracism, with leader-member exchange (LMX) and supervisor ostracism employed as mediators. Data from 517 full-time hotel employees indicated that both leader affiliative humor and leader aggressive humor did not directly affect workplace ostracism. Leader affiliative humor improved workplace ostracism first through LMX and then supervisor ostracism. Leader aggressive humor exacerbates workplace ostracism indirectly through supervisor ostracism. Leader aggressive humor exerted a higher effect on workplace ostracism than did leader affiliative humor. Drawing on job demands-resources model and social exchange theory, this study is the first to provide a framework investigating leader humor, LMX, supervisor ostracism, and workplace ostracism.

Perceived organizational culture and employee performance: moderating role of supervisor humor

PurposeThe idea of using positive humor as a managerial tool is gaining traction in both academia and organizations. The purpose of this paper is to test whether supervisors' use of positive humor in organizations in different perceived cultures (hierarchical, clan, market and adhocracy) influences employees' in-role and extra role performance.Design/methodology/approachThe sample includes 317 clinical and non-clinical employees in public hospitals in Palermo, Italy. Hypotheses are tested using structural equation modeling.FindingsResults indicate that supervisor positive humor has a direct relationship with employee in-role and extra-role performance. Also, supervisor positive humor has a moderating impact on the relationship between organizational culture and in-role and extra-role performance. Moderating effect of supervisor humor have a greater impact on extra-role performance towards individuals or organizational citizenship behavior toward individuals (OCBI).Research limitations/implicationsThe first limitation is that this study examines only positive or adaptive kinds of leader humor; negative or maladaptive humor is not included. A further limitation is the role of social (national) organizational culture in our construct. It is claimed that, specific components of national organizational culture are more significant compared with others and that some national organizational cultures are more vital to performance in one part of the organization compared to others (Nazarian et al., 2017). Hofstede's original four dimensions of national culture: power distance, individualism, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity/femininity could be analyzed separately to investigate the role of each variable on the study’s construct.Practical implicationsAs Romero and Cruthirds (2006) mentioned, organizations can establish “humor-training seminars” to make the supervisor and team members aware of the benefits of humor in the workplace. For instance, subjects such as appropriate types of humor, gender and ethical differences in appreciating the humor, and matching the humor style with the specific organizational outcome can be discussed. To understand and apply appropriate organizational culture in public organizations, it is beneficial to know which types of culture encourage employee in-role/extra-role performance. This study compared the consequences of the specific dominant culture in relation to the objective of the organization. However, one solution does not fit all. Sometimes managers inevitably follow trends in their industries without noticing other variables (Mason, 2007).Social implicationsAs Romero and Cruthirds (2006) mentioned, organizations can establish “humor-training seminars” to make the supervisor and team members aware of the benefits of humor in the workplace. For instance, subjects such as appropriate types of humor, gender and ethical differences in appreciating the humor, and matching the humor style with the specific organizational outcome can be discussed.Originality/valueThis paper provides evidence to suggest that supervisor humor results in greater employee in-role and extra-role performance.

How does abusive supervision impair follower’s intrinsic motivation? Testing roles of positive affect and leader humor expression

How does abusive supervision impair follower’s intrinsic motivation? Testing roles of positive affect and leader humor expression