Workplace humor and organizational creativity

International Journal of Human Resource Management

Volumn 21, Issue 1, 2010, Pages 46-60

  Lang, Josephine Chinying ^a   Lee, Chay Hoon ^a  

^a NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY   (Singapore)

Author keywords

Controlling humor; Liberating humor; Organizational creativity; Stress relieving humor; Workplace humor

Indexed keywords

EID: 75749123452     PISSN: 09585192     EISSN: 14664399     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/09585190903466855     Document Type: Article

References (96)

1. Amabile, T.M. (1988), 'A Model of Creativity and Innovation in Organizations', Research in Organizational Behavior, 10, 123-167.
2. Anderson, J.C., and Gerbing, D.W. (1988), 'Structural Equation Modeling in Practice: A Review and Recommended Two-step Approach', Psychological Bulletin, 103, 3, 411-423.
3. Avolio, B.J., Howell, J.M., and Sosik, J.J. (1999), 'A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Bottom Line: Humor as a Moderator of Leadership Style Effects', Academy of Management Journal, 42, 2, 219-227.
4. Bagozzi, R.P., and Phillips, L.W. (1982), 'Representing and Testing Organizational Theories: A Holistic Construal', Administrative Science Quarterly, 27, September, 459-489.
5. Bateson, G. (1972), 'A Theory of Play and Fantasy', in Steps to an Ecology of Mind, ed. G. Bateson, San Francisco, CA: Chandler, pp. 177-193.
6. Berger, A.A. (1993), An Anatomy of Humor, New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction.
7. Berger, P., and Luckman, T. (1966), The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge, Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
8. Bergson, H. (1911), Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic, New York: Macmillan [1899].
9. Borins, S. (1998), Innovating with Integrity: How Local Heroes are Transforming American Government, Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
10. Borman, K.M. (1988), 'Playing on the Job in Adolescent Work Settings', Anthropology and Education Quarterly, 19, 2, 163-181.
11. Boxer, D., and Cortés-Conde, F. (1997), 'From Bonding to Biting: Conversational Joking and Identity Display', Journal of Pragmatics, 27, 275-294.
12. Burma, J.H. (1946), 'Humor as a Technique in Race Conflict', American Sociological Review, 11, December, 710-711.
13. Campbell, D.T. (1955), 'The Informant in Quantitative Research', American Journal of Sociology, 60, January, 339-342.
14. Cann, A., Holt, K., and Calhoon, L.G. (1999), 'The Roles of Humor and Sense of Humor in Response to Stressors', Humor: International Journal of Humor Research, 12, 2, 177-193.
15. Cattell, R.B. (1966), 'The Scree Test for the Number of Factors', Multivariate Behavioral Research, 1,141-161.
16. Clouse, R.W., and Spurgeon, K.L. (1995), 'Corporate Analysis of Humor', Psychology- A Quarterly Journal of Human Behavior, 32, 1-24.
17. Collinson, D.L. (1988), 'Engineering Humour: Masculinity, Joking and Conflict in Shop-floor Relations', Organization Studies, 9, 2, 181-199.
18. Corey, G. (1996), Theory and Practice of Counseling and Psychotherapy, Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
19. Craik, K.H., Lampert, M.D., and Nelson, A.J. (1996), 'Sense of Humor and Styles of Everyday Humorous Conduct', Humor: International Journal of Humor Research, 9, 3/4, 273-302.
20. Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996), Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention, New York: Harper/Collins.
21. Dixon, N.F. (1980), 'Humor: A Cognitive Alternative to Stress?' Stress and Anxiety, 7, 281-289.
22. Dolgopolova, Z. (1982), Russia Dies Laughing, London: Andre Deutsch.
23. Douglas, M. (1975), Implicit Meanings, London: Routledge.
24. Duncan, W.J. (1982), 'Humor in Management: Prospects for Administrative Practice and Research', Academy of Management Review, 7, 136-142.
25. Duncan, W.J., Smeltzer, L.R., and Leap, T.L. (1990), 'Humor and Work: Application of Joking Behavior to Management', Journal of Management, 16, 255-278.
26. Farr, J.L., and Ford, C.M. (1990), 'Individual Innovation', in Innovation and Creativity at Work, eds. M.A. West and J.L. Farr, New York: Wiley, pp. 63-80.
27. Feibleman, J.K. (1939), In Praise of Comedy, New York: Macmillan.
28. Ford, C.M. (1996),'A Theory of Individual Creative Action in Multiple Social Domains', Academy of Management Review, 21, 1112-1142.
29. Ford, T.E., and Ferguson, M.A.(2004),'Social Consequences of Disparagement Humor: A Prejudiced Norm Theory', Personality and Social Psychology Review, 8, 1, 79-94.
30. Forester, J.(2004),'Responding to Critical Moments with Humor, Recognition, and Hope', Negotiation Journal, 20, 2, 221-237.
31. Fox, S. (1990), 'The Ethnography of Humor and the Problem of Social Reality', Sociology, 24, 431-446.
32. Freedy, J.R., Shaw, D.L., Jarrell, M.P., and Masters, C.R. (1992), 'Towards an Understanding of the Psychological Impact of Natural Disaster: An Application of the Conservation of Resources Stress Model', Journal of Traumatic Stress, 5, 441-454.
33. Gergen, K.J. (1994), Toward Transformation in Social Knowledge (2nd ed.), London: Sage.
34. Gruner, C.R. (1997), The Game of Humor: A Comprehensive Theory of Why We Laugh, New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction.
35. Hatch, M.J. (1997), 'Irony and the Social Construction of Contradiction in the Humor of a Management Team', Organization Science, 8, 275-288.
36. Hobbes, T. (1840), Human Nature (The English Works of Thomas Hobbes, Vol. 4), London: John Bohn [1650].
37. Hobbes, T. (1909), Leviathan, Oxford: Clarendon Press.
38. Hollon, J. (2007), 'Meeting Malaise', Workforce Management, November, 5, 58.
39. Holmes, J. (2000), 'Politeness, Power and Provocative: How Humor Functions in the Workplace', Discourse Studies, 2, 2, 159-185.
40. Holmes, J., and Marra, M. (2002), 'Having a Laugh at Work: How Humor Contributes to Workplace Culture', Journal of Pragmatics, 34, 1683-1710.
41. Isen, A. (1984), 'Toward Understanding the Role of Affect in Cognition', in Handbook of Social Cognition (Vol. 3), eds. S. Wyer and T. Srull, Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, pp. 179-236.
42. Isen, A. (1987), 'Positive Affect, Cognitive Processes and Social Behavior', in Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (Vol. 20), ed. L. Berkowitz, New York: Academic Press, pp. 203-253.
43. Isen, A., Daubman, K., and Nowicki, G. (1987), 'Positive Affect Facilitates Creative Problem Solving', Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 1122-1131.
44. Jex, S.M. (1998), Stress and Job Performance: Theory, Research, and Implications for Managerial Practice, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
45. Kahn, B., and Isen, A. (1993), 'The Influence of Positive Affect on Variety seeking Among Safe, Enjoyable Products', Journal of Consumer Research, 20, 257-270.
46. Kahn, W.A. (1989), 'Towards a Sense of Organizational Humor: Implications for Organizational Diagnosis and Change', Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 25, 1, 45-63.
47. Kerkkänen, P., Kuiper, N.A., and Martin, R.A. (2004), 'Sense of Humor, Physical Health, and Well-being at Work: A Three-year Longitudinal Study of Finnish Police Officers', Humor, 17, 1/2, 21-35.
48. Koestler, A. (1964), The Act of Creation, London: Hutchinson.
49. Kohler, G., and Ruch, W. (1996), 'Sources of Variance in Current Sense of Humor Inventories: How Much Substance, How Much Method Variance?' Humor: International Journal of Humor Research, 9, 3/4, 363-397.
50. Kruger, A. (1996), 'The Nature of Humor in Human Nature: Cross-cultural Commonalities', Counseling Psychology Quarterly, 8, 235-242.
51. Kumar, N., Stern, L.W., and Anderson, J.C. (1993), 'Conducting Inter-organizational Research using Key Informants', Academy of Management Journal, 36, 6, 1633-1651.
52. Lewin, K. (1938), The Conceptual Representation of the Measurement of Psychological Forces, Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
53. Linstead, S. (1985), 'Jokers Wild: The Importance of Humor in the Maintenance of Organizational Culture', The Sociological Review, 33, 4, 741-767.
54. Luthans, F. (2002), 'Positive Organizational Behavior: Developing and Managing Psychological Strengths', Academy of Management Executive, 16, 1, 57-75.
55. Luthans, F., Avolio, B.J., and Norman, S.M. (2007), 'Positive Psychological Capital: Measurement and Relationship with Performance and Satisfaction', Personnel Psychology, 60, 3, 541-573.
56. Malone, P.B. III. (1980), 'Humor: A Double-edged Tool for Today's Managers', Academy of Management Review, 5, 3, 357-360.
57. Maples, M.F., Dupey, P., Torres-Rivera, E., Phan, L.T., Vereen, L., and Garrett, M.T. (2001), 'Ethnic Diversity and the Use of Humor in Counseling: Appropriate or Inappropriate?', Journal of Counseling and Development, 79, 53-60.
58. Martin, R.A.(2000),'Humor', in Encyclopedia of Psychology (Vol.4), ed. A.E. Kazdin, Washington, DC: American Psychological Associations, pp. 202-204.
59. Martin, R.A., and Lefcourt, H.M. (1983), 'Sense of Humor as a Moderator of the Relation between Stressors and Moods', Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 1313-1324.
60. Mindess, H. (1987), 'The Panorama of Humor and the Meaning of Life', American Behavioral Scientist, 30, 1, 82-95.
61. Montuori, A. (2003), 'The Complexity of Improvisation and the Improvisation of Complexity: Social Science, Art and Creativity', Human Relations, 56, 2, 237-255.
62. Morgan, W.P. (1985), 'Affective Beneficence of Vigorous Physical Activity', Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 17, 94-100.
63. Mumford, M.D., and Gustafson, S.B. (1988), 'Creativity Syndrome: Integration, Application, and Innovation', Psychological Bulletin, 103, 27-43.
64. Murdock, M.C., and Ganim, R.M. (1993), 'Creativity and Humor: Integration and Incongruity', Journal of Creative Behavior, 27, 57-70.
65. Nunnally, J.C. (1978), Psychometric Theory (2nd ed.), New York: McGraw-Hill.
66. Obrdlik, A.J. (1942), 'Gallows Humor- A Sociological Phenomenon', American Journal of Sociology, 47, March, 709-716.
67. Orwell, G. (1968), 'Funny, but not Vulgar', in The Collected Essays, Journalism and Letters of George Orwell, New York: Harcourt Brace.
68. Pfeffer, J.M. (1981), 'Management as a Symbolic Action: The Creation and Maintenance of Organizational Paradigm', in Research in Organizational Behavior (Vol. 3), eds. L.L. Cummings and B.M. Staw, Greenwich, CT: JAI Press, pp. 1-52.
69. Podsakoff, P.M., and MacKenzie, S.B. (1994), 'Organizational Citizenship Behaviors and Sales Unit Effectiveness', Journal of Marketing Research, 3, 351-363.
70. Podsakoff, P., MacKenzie, S.C., Lee, J., and Podsakoff, N.P. (2003), 'Common Method Biases in Behavioral Research: A Critical Review of the Literature and Recommended Remedies', Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 879-903.
71. Putnam, L.L.(1983),'The Interpretive Perspective: An Alternative to Functionalism', in Communication and Organizations: An Interpretive Approach, eds. L.L. Putnam and M.E. Pacanowsky, Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, pp. 31-54.
72. Richman, J. (1995), 'The Lifesaving Function of Humor with the Depressed and Suicidal Elderly', Gerontologist, 35, 271-273.
73. Rodrigues, S.B., and Collinson, D.L. (1995), 'Having Fun? Humour as Resistance in Brazil', Organization Studies, 36, 5, 739-768.
74. Roy, D. (1960), 'Banana Time: Job Satisfaction and Informal Interaction', Human Organization, 18,158-168.
75. Sanders, G.S., and Baron, R.S. (1975), 'The Motivating Effects of Distraction on Task Performance', Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 14, 291-303.
76. Sattler, D.N., Kaiser, C.F., and Hittner, J.B. (2000), 'Disaster Preparedness: Relationships among Prior Experience, Personal Characteristics, and Distress', Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 30,1398-1420.
77. Scott, S.G., and Bruce, R.A. (1994), 'Determinants of Innovative Behavior: A Path Model of Individual Innovation in the Workplace', Academy of Management Journal, 37, 580-607.
78. Scully, J. (1900), 'Prolegomena to a Theory of Laughter', The Philosophical Review, 9, 4, 365-383.
79. Seidler, J. (1974), 'On Using Informants: A Technique for Collecting Quantitative Data and Controlling for Measurement Error in Organizational Analysis', American Sociological Review, 39,816-831.
80. Smith, W.J., Harrington, K.V., and Neck, C.P. (2000), 'Resolving Conflict with Humor in a Diversity Context', Journal of Managerial Psychology, 15, 6, 606-621.
81. Speier, H. (1998), 'Wit and Politics: An Essay on Laughter and Power', American Journal of Sociology, 103, 5, 1352-1401 (originally published in German in 1975).
82. Stephenson, R.M. (1951), 'Conflict and Control Functions of Humor', American Journal of Sociology, 56, 6, 569-574.
83. Suls, J. (1983), 'Cognitive Processes in Humor Appreciation', in Handbook of Humor Research, ed. J. Goldstein, New York: Springer-Verlag Inc., pp. 39-57.
84. Svebak, S. (1974), 'A Theory of Sense of Humor', Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 35, 99-107.
85. Szabo, A. (2003), 'The Acute Effects of Humor and Exercise on Mood and Anxiety', Journal of Leisure Research, 35, 2, 152-162.
86. Terrion, J.L., and Ashforth, B.E. (2002), 'From "I" to "we": The Role of Putdown Humor and Identity in the Development of a Temporary Group', Human Relations, 55, 1, 55-88.
87. Trice, H.M., and Beyer, J.M. (1993), The Cultures of Work Organizations, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
88. Watson, T.J. (1994), In Search of Management, London: Routledge.
89. Weick, K.E. (1979), The Social Psychology of Organizing (2nd ed.), Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
90. Woodman, R.W., Sawyer, J.E., and Griffin, R.W. (1993), 'Toward a Theory of Organizational Theory', Academy of Management Review, 18, 2, 293-322.
91. Yovitch, N.A., Dale, J.A., and Hudak, M.A. (1990), 'Benefits of Humor in Reduction of Threat-induced Anxiety', Psychological Reports, 66, 51-58.
92. Yukl, G. (2001), Leadership in Organizations, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
93. Zhou, J. (2003), 'When the Presence of Creative Coworkers is Related to Creativity: Role of Supervisor Close Monitoring, Developmental Feedback, and Creative Personality', Journal of Applied Psychology, 88, 3, 413-422.
94. Zhou, J., and George, J.M. (2001), 'When Openness to Experience and Conscientiousness are Related to Creative Behavior: An Interactional Approach', Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 3, 513-524.
95. Ziv, A. (1984), Personality and Sense of Humor, New York: Sprinter.
96. Ziv, A., and Gadish, O. (1990), 'Humor and Giftedness', Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 13, 332-345.