Personal need for structure as a boundary condition for humor in leadership

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

Recent research has established a positive relationship between humor in leadership and organizational behavior variables. However, neither the mechanisms nor the boundary conditions of the positive effects of humor in leadership are completely understood. In this study, we contribute to these questions by investigating the relationship between humor in leadership and follower commitment and burnout in more detail. We propose that these relationships unfold via a relational process and specified this relational process in terms of leader–member exchange. Moreover, we assume that these relationships depend on followers' personal need for structure. We tested the hypothesized moderated-mediation model in a two-wave survey study with 142 employees. Our results support the proposed model. We found the predicted indirect effect of humor on commitment and disengagement to be stronger for followers low in need for structure. However, we did not find the proposed effects for emotional exhaustion. We discuss implications for leadership theory, humor theory, and for leadership training and practice.

Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Organizational Behavior
Volume38
Issue number1
Pages (from-to)87-107
Number of pages21
ISSN0894-3796
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.01.2017
Externally publishedYes

    Research areas

  • Business psychology - humor, leadership, moderated mediation, personal need for structure, relational mechanism

DOI

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Structuring and advancing solution-oriented research for sustainability
  2. Alltag
  3. Phenotypic Plasticity Explains Response Patterns of European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) Saplings to Nitrogen Fertilization and Drought Events
  4. Towards a comparative international history of dockers
  5. Reconstructing the “biopiracy” debate from a justice perspective
  6. Sprachliche Heterogenität im gesellschaftswissenschaftlichen Unterricht
  7. Skill learning as a concept in life-span developmental psychology
  8. Tristan Garcia, Form and Object
  9. Why the future is democratic
  10. Analysis of mechanical properties and microstructure of single and double-pass friction stir welded T-joints for aluminium stiffened Panels
  11. Speaking about vision, talking in the name of so much more
  12. David und Batseba
  13. Responses of an arable crop rotation system to elevated [CO2]
  14. Valuing changes in ecosystem services: scenario analysis
  15. Simulierte Unfälle
  16. Der gefühlte Anspruch in der Haftpflichtversicherung
  17. The opportunity development process of nascent entrepreneurs
  18. Premiering a Mediaopera. On-Site. Online.
  19. Layoff Agency
  20. "Göttersymbole"
  21. Inducing Error Management Culture – Evidence From Experimental Team Studies
  22. Strategies for Reducing the Input of Pharmaceuticals into the Environment
  23. The European Commission’s Expert Groups
  24. Die Rentenreform in der Diskussion
  25. Risikobewusste Planung
  26. An intra-firm perspective on wage profiles and employment of older workers with special reference to human capital and deferred compensation
  27. Hierarchie
  28. Blockchain for the Circular Economy: Analysis of the Research-Practice Gap
  29. Teaching and Learning in Sustainability Science
  30. Mobile technologies, from telecommunication to media, ed. by Gerard Goggin ...
  31. Antike als Inszenierung