| This qualitative study examined the effect of organizational leaders' use of humor on followers. The problem studied was that though research has suggested that the use of humor has many benefits, its effects are not well understood, nor is it a commonly used leadership strategy. The impact of the problem includes virtually all organizations in all sectors, both public and private, in that a valuable method for increasing valuable follower effects such as job satisfaction, job engagement, and job morale may be going unused or underutilized. The purpose of the study was to examine leaders' use of humor's effects on specifically those three factors. The conceptual framework was a combination of the idea that humor is first and foremost a communicative tool, and incongruity theory, which explains why humor works. A researcher-constructed interview protocol was used to gather the perceptions and experiences of 27 participants. Purposive sampling was used via the researcher's professional contacts. Participants meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria completed an online, anonymous survey. The three research questions asked about leaders' use of humor on followers' job satisfaction, job engagement, and job morale, respectively. Results were that leaders' use of humor had a positive effect on all three factors. A strongly recurring theme was that leaders' use of humor significantly reduced followers' stress and made the workplace more welcoming. Implications of the results are that organizations and their human resource departments should strongly consider including the use of humor as a desirable trait in an existing or potential leader and adjust their practices accordingly. |
