Research Of The Influence Mechanisms Of Department Leader Humor On Team Effectiveness

In the current era of business prosperity and economic growth,social competition has intensified,posing greater challenges and pressures to both enterprise management practices and individuals in the workplace.Within the framework of sustainable economic development,fostering a people-oriented approach has become the cultural essence of Chinese enterprises.Consequently,managers prioritize enhancing employees’ work experience and cultivating a more relaxed workplace environment.This shift has led to an increasing number of Chinese leaders abandoning the traditional perception of being superior and unsmiling,instead embracing leadership humor as a pivotal management tool in their daily operations.During speeches and interviews,leaders of domestic enterprises frequently convey profound insights on enterprise development and management practices in a humorous manner.Such humor-laden discourse effectively engages and motivates their subordinates.As the prevalence of leader humor grows in modern organizations,there is a growing academic interest in this phenomenon.Leader humor holds significant value for both employees and organizations.However,previous research has primarily examined the effects of leader humor on employees’ attitudes,behaviors,and performance from theoretical perspectives such as social exchange,stress alleviation,and positive affect.While some scholars have recognized the team-level nature of leader humor and its potential impact on teams and organizations as a fundamental aspect of interpersonal interactions,few studies have systematically explored the team-level implications of leader humor.In the context of an increasingly complex and volatile social and economic environment,the significance of teams in effectively navigating organizational dynamics surpasses that of individuals,making team effectiveness a central concern for organizations.Consequently,it is worthwhile to investigate the influence of leader humor on team outcomes.Since the utility of leader humor has been believed by leaders at different organizational levels,it is valuable and necessary to explore how the humorous behaviors of leaders at different levels can play a role.Some scholars emphasized that top managers have the power to deploy and allocate team resources,and are in full contact with the team and team leaders.They suggested the “tone at the top” is crucial and has a significant influence on follower behavior.At the same time,other scholars believed that direct supervisors,who are closer to employees and manage them,are proximal factors that influence employees at the organizational level,and also have a stronger influence on employees.In this study,I do not take an either/or approach to resolve this obvious dispute.According to distant leadership and social learning theory,this study hypothesizes that the downward influence of middle leaders’ humor can be achieved in part via the direct influence(i.e.,the bypass effect)and partly through the mediating effect(i.e.,the trickle-down effect)of direct supervisors’ leadership humor.Based on this,this study will discuss how department leader humor influence team effectiveness(captured by team performance and team organizational citizenship behavior),and unify their impact on team effectiveness under a broad framework by exploring the relationship between department leader humor and team leader humor.Department leader humor can exert its own relationship attributes to influence team effectiveness,while on the other hand,it can promote team leader humor through trickle-down model.Furthermore,the team effectiveness is affected by the humorous behaviors of team leaders.Given the recognized value of leader humor across various organizational levels,it is crucial to explore the specific roles played by leaders at different levels in exhibiting humorous behaviors.Some scholars have emphasized the pivotal role of top managers,who possess the authority to allocate team resources and maintain close contact with both teams and team leaders.They argue that the "tone at the top" is of utmost importance and significantly impacts follower behavior.Conversely,other scholars argue that direct supervisors,who are in closer proximity to employees and directly manage them,exert a more substantial influence on employees at the organizational level.Rather than adopting an either/or perspective to reconcile this apparent dispute,this study draws on distant leadership and social learning theories.Consequently,the study hypothesizes that middle leaders’ humor achieves downward influence,partly through the direct influence(referred to as the bypass effect)and partly through the mediating effect(known as the trickle-down effect)of direct supervisors’ leadership humor.Based on these premises,this study aims to explore the impact of department leader humor on team effectiveness,as measured by team performance and team organizational citizenship behavior.Additionally,it aims to integrate the relationship between department leader humor and team leader humor within a comprehensive framework.Department leader humor can exhibit its distinctive relationship attributes to influence team effectiveness.Simultaneously,it can foster team leader humor through a trickledown model.Moreover,the humorous behaviors of team leaders significantly impact team effectiveness.Specifically,this study decomposes the underlying mechanism of department leader humor affecting team effectiveness into two parallel logic chains: department leader humor affects team effectiveness by driving the development of hierarchical relationships,and department leader humor promotes team effectiveness through the downward flow of team leader humor in the organizational hierarchy.Further,in order to clarify the internal theoretical mechanism of these two logics,this study conduct in-depth analysis and research from three different theoretical perspectives.Firstly,from the interpersonal relationship perspective,department leader humor affects team effectiveness by improving the dyadic relationships between department leaders and team leaders.Secondly,from the social learning perspective,department leader humor affects team leader humor through downward mobility in the organizational hierarchy.Finally,from the information processing perspective,team leader humor,as a powerful social cue,has a positive impact on team effectiveness.In the end,this study constructed a trinity theoretical research framework of “the interpersonal relationship mechanisms of department leader humor affecting team effectiveness(relational bypass effect)-the social learning mechanism of department leader humor’s downward flow to improve team leader humor(trickle-down effect a)-the information processing mechanism of team leader humor improving team effectiveness(trickle-down effect b)”,which made a meaningful attempt for the development of leader humor theory.This study aims to elucidate the underlying mechanism through which department leader humor influences team effectiveness.The investigation focuses on two parallel logic chains: firstly,how department leader humor influences team effectiveness by shaping hierarchical relationships,and secondly,how department leader humor enhances team effectiveness through the transmission of humor from team leaders to subordinates in the organizational hierarchy.To establish a comprehensive understanding of these mechanisms,this study conducts an in-depth analysis and research from three distinct theoretical perspectives.Firstly,from the perspective of interpersonal relationships,department leader humor improves the dyadic relationships between department leaders and team leaders,thereby impacting team effectiveness.Secondly,adopting a social learning perspective,department leader humor influences team leader humor as it trickles down through the organizational hierarchy.Finally,considering the information processing perspective,team leader humor,as a potent social cue,positively influences team effectiveness.By integrating these perspectives,this study constructs a trinity theoretical research framework known as "the relational bypass effect: the interpersonal relationship mechanism of department leader humor influencing team effectiveness,trickle-down effect a: the social learning mechanism of department leader humor’s downward flow to enhance team leader humor,and trickle-down effect b: the information processing mechanism of team leader humor improving team effectiveness." This framework represents a significant contribution to the advancement of leader humor theory.Based on the above theoretical framework,this study conducted three substudies:(1)Study 1 explored the intrinsic relational mechanisms underlying the impact of departmental leader humor on team effectiveness based on the interpersonal relationship perspective(relational bypass effect).I collected 101supervisor-subordinate matches from team leaders and their department leaders at three time points.The results of multi-level path analysis showed that leader-leader exchange(LLX)is intrinsic relational mechanism between department leader humor and team effectiveness.In addition,the apparent sincerity of department leaders can amplify the positive influence of department leader humor on team performance and team organizational citizenship behavior,while the power distance of team leaders can weaken this influence.(2)Study 2 explored and validated the trickle-down effect of leader humor in the organizational hierarchy based on the social learning perspective,revealing the impact of department leader humor on team leader humor(trickle-down effect a).A sample of 285 matched team leaders and team members was collected at three time points,and the results of the team-level path analysis showed that the department leader humor experienced by team leaders had a significant positive impact on the team leader humor experienced by their subordinates.Among them,the department leaders’ leading by example perceived by team leaders and the interactional efficacy of team leaders mediated this positive relationship.(3)Study 3 discussed and examined the positive effects of team leader humor on team effectiveness based on the information processing perspective(trickle-down effect b).This study explored the underlying mechanism by which general leader humor affects team effectiveness through team psychological capital(Psy Cap),and in the supplementary analysis we explored how affiliative leader humor affects team effectiveness through functional perception of leader humor and team Psy Cap.By analyzing the matching data of 79 teams and 258 team members collected at three time points at the team level,it was found that the team Psy Cap mediates the positive influence of general leader humor on team effectiveness,while the functional perception of leader humor and team Psy Cap will play a chain mediating role in the effect of affiliative leader humor on team effectiveness.The overall theoretical model of this study contributes to the field in several significant ways.Firstly,it addresses the issue of limited empirical research at higher levels in general leadership studies by uncovering the conditions under which leader humor at the department level is more beneficial.While existing research on leadership primarily focuses on employees or teams,there is a lack of studies examining leadership from a higher level of analysis,such as enterprises and organizations.Despite recognizing leader humor as an effective management tool across all levels of an organization,our understanding of how departmental leader humor operates remains limited.Thus,this study explores two paths through which department leader humor influences team effectiveness: leveraging its own relational attributes and supporting team leaders.These paths are examined within a relational perspective and the context of the trickle-down effect.Secondly,this study expands the theoretical perspective of leader humor research by integrating the relational mechanism and trickle-down effect of department leader humor.Previous studies have explored the impact of leader humor on subordinates’ attitudes and behaviors from various perspectives.However,these studies often treat the relational attribute of leader humor as a mere inference element in theoretical explanations,without thoroughly discussing the positive significance of the relationship itself.Moreover,while the trickle-down effect has been examined in studies of different leadership styles,such as ethical leadership,servant leadership,and abusive supervision,the field of leader humor research has not extensively explored this effect.Therefore,this study effectively broadens the theoretical perspective of leader humor research,providing valuable insights for future investigations.Finally,this study consistently focuses on the impact of leader humor on team outcomes,exploring and testing the underlying mechanisms by which department leader humor and team leader humor affect team effectiveness.While some scholars recognize that leader humor is inherently a team-level phenomenon,research on its implementation and effects at the team level remains relatively scarce.Addressing this gap,this study discusses and tests the team-level impact of leadership humor through three distinct sub-studies,employing different theoretical perspectives at varying levels.In comparison to previous studies,this research represents a proactive step in examining the effects of leader humor,demonstrating an elevated level of research and a deliberate choice of theoretical perspectives.This research introduces several key innovations.Firstly,it contributes to theory innovation by incorporating the trickle-down effect into the study of leader humor,thereby explaining how leader humor permeates and influences the organizational hierarchy.While previous studies have demonstrated the trickledown effect in different leadership contexts,none have specifically investigated the downward flow of leader humor within organizations.Secondly,this research introduces a novel framework by integrating existing research on the impact of highlevel leadership behaviors on team and individual outcomes,along with insights from social practice issues and previous findings related to leader humor.Aligned with a relational perspective and the trickle-down effect,the study establishes a comprehensive framework consisting of two logical chains and three mechanisms:the relational underlying mechanism and trickle-down effect of department leader humor,as well as the "interpersonal relationship mechanism-social learning mechanism-information processing mechanism." Lastly,this research demonstrates innovation at the analysis level.To examine the relationships between department leader humor,team leader humor,and team effectiveness,the study conceptualizes these constructs at the team level and tests the theoretical model accordingly.Considering that previous research has explored leadership behavior,organizational citizenship behavior,and job performance as group-level constructs,and that the trickle-down effect of other leadership patterns has been validated at the team level,the team-level analysis of leader humor is both reasonable and feasible as an innovative approach.