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It is believed that friendly jokes from management improve the atmosphere in the team, and “evil” or caustic remarks cause discontent. However, a new study has shown that everything depends on the relationship that develops between superiors and subordinates.
This became known thanks to a new study by scientists from the University of Missouri. Their conclusions are as follows: the relations that have developed in the work team have a much greater influence on how subordinates will perceive the jokes of the authorities than what kind of jokes they prefer – benevolent or not.
“It is believed that a leader can only afford good-natured jokes that do not hurt or offend anyone, and “evil” humor, which can be perceived as aggressive or offensive, is not appropriate for a leader, says Christopher Robert, assistant professor of management at the Robert J. Tryulaske Sr. College of Business at the University of Missouri. — Our research has shown that the effect of jokes depends primarily on the relationship between the boss and his subordinates. When they’re in place, any boss jokes—good or bad—are likely to make a good impression on employees, ultimately increasing job satisfaction. If the relationship does not work out, even the most friendly humor will not help. In such a situation, any attempts by the boss to joke will eventually reduce the conditional indicator of job satisfaction among subordinates.
Pass the tests
- Can you laugh at yourself?
Christopher Robert conducted the study with Timothy Dunne, assistant professor of management at Middle Tennessee State University, and Joyce Iun of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. They compiled two questionnaires: one for superiors, the second for subordinates. With their help, the researchers interviewed 70 managers and 240 subordinates in 54 organizations.
“Leaders who are not accustomed to joking with subordinates, but want to try, can be advised to soberly assess what kind of relationship they have managed to build with employees. If a good relationship is already established, humor—whether friendly or not—is likely to strengthen it further. However, do not rely on humor when building a relationship from scratch. To do this, it is more important for a leader to be able to prevent mutual misunderstanding and unfair treatment, as well as to establish effective feedback with the team,” says Christopher Robert.
Read more:
- What are our jokes about?
At the same time, he adds that even the best relationship between a manager and employees does not mean that any, even inappropriate and offensive jokes, are allowed. Racist or sexist humor can be taken with hostility by subordinates, no matter how well they treat the boss. Constant “evil” jokes and ridicule can also, in the end, begin to negatively affect the atmosphere in the team.
Подробнее см. С. Robert et al. «The impact of leader humor on subordinate job satisfaction», Group & Organization Management, August 2015.