The Case for Developing New Research on Humor and Culture in Organizations: Toward a Higher Grade of Manure
- 29 June 2007
- book chapter
- Published by Emerald in Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management
Abstract
The study of humor has a long tradition in philosophy, sociology, psychology, anthropology, and communications. Evidence from these fields suggests that humor can have effects on creativity, cohesiveness, and performance, but organizational scholars have paid it relatively little attention. We hope to “jump-start” such a research program. To do this, we first outline the theoretical rationale underlying the production and appreciation of humor, namely, its motivational, cognitive, and emotional mechanisms. Next, we review the literature linking humor to creativity, cohesiveness, and other performance-relevant outcomes. In particular, we note how this literature is theoretically well-grounded, but that the empirical findings are largely correlational and/or based on qualitative research designs. Finally, we go beyond the current humor literature by developing specific predictions about how culture might interact with humor in organizational contexts. Throughout the paper, we discuss possible research directions and methodological issues relevant to the study of humor in organizations.Keywords
This publication has 108 references indexed in Scilit:
- The routinization of innovation research: a constructively critical review of the state‐of‐the‐scienceJournal of Organizational Behavior, 2004
- Individual differences in uses of humor and their relation to psychological well-being: Development of the Humor Styles QuestionnaireJournal of Research in Personality, 2003
- Humor in member narratives: Uniting and dividing at workWestern Journal of Communication, 1997
- A Neural Resolution of the Incongruity-resolution and Incongruity Theories of HumourConnection Science, 1993
- Beyond the emotional event: Six studies on the social sharing of emotionCognition and Emotion, 1991
- Cultural similarities and differences in display rulesMotivation and Emotion, 1990
- The influence of positive affective states on task perceptions and satisfactionOrganizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 1989
- Chapter 4: Using Humor to Develop Creative ThinkingJournal of Children in Contemporary Society, 1989
- The influence of positive affect and visual access on the discovery of integrative solutions in bilateral negotiationOrganizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 1986
- Allocentric versus idiocentric tendencies: Convergent and discriminant validationJournal of Research in Personality, 1985