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ABSTRACT
Given its capacity to cultivate a range of positive outcomes in the workplace, humor has been recognized as a valuable tool for leadership purposes. However, the theoretical understanding of leader humor remains relatively limited and the mechanism through which it influences follower outcomes has not been clearly identified. Drawing on signaling theory, we developed and empirically tested a model which delineates the relationship between leader humor and a specific follower behavior – proactive feedback seeking. We collected data from 304 employees and their respective leaders working in a large Canadian retail organization. Results of our analyses indicate that leader humor can impact subordinate feedback-seeking behavior via its influence on subordinates’ affect-based and cognition-based trust in the leader.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Data availability statement
The data described in this article are openly available in the Open Science Framework at https://osf.io/kujha/.
Open Scholarship
This article has earned the Center for Open science badges for Open Materials and Data through Open Practices Disclosure. The materials and data are openly accessible at https://osf.io/kujha/.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Len Karakowsky
Len Karakowsky is a Professor of Organizational Behavior in the School of Administrative Studies at York University, Toronto, Ontario. His research interests include leadership, workplace creativity and justice.
Mark Podolsky
Mark Podolsky is an Assistant Professor in the School of Human Resource Management at York University, Toronto, Ontario. His research explores the development of human capital and its connections with individual performance and organizational strategy.
A. R. Elangovan
A. R. Elangovan is a 3M National Teaching Fellow and UVic Distinguished Professor at the Peter B. Gustavson School of Business, University of Victoria, Canada. His scholarly inquiries address the notions of authenticity, meaningfulness, callings, wisdom, trust and wellbeing at work.