Predictive Power of Humor Types in Explaining Leadership Styles in Different Organizations

Purpose – Humor could act as a therapeutic agent for the employees by creating an entertaining environment. It is also considered as a valuable administrative tool to increase production and workers’ productivity. Leadership, on the other hand, is an important component of all kinds of organizations. Humor and leadership have been studied extensively in a variety of contexts. Although the relationship between humor types and leadership styles has become a topic of interest for the researchers, the predictive power of humor types in explaining leadership styles has not been studied. The aim of this study is to find out whether the subordinates’ views regarding the type of their leaders differ and the type of humor predict leadership style of the managers. Design/methodology/approach – The study employed survey research design. To this end, 225 subordinates working at different organizations in a city located in Black Sea Region, Turkey participated in the study. In order to collect data Leadership Style Scale and Humor Behavior Scale were used. Findings – The findings of the study revealed that the subordinates working for different institutions mostly think that their managers are transactional leaders. In addition, the results of hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that humor types predict leadership styles at different levels. Discussion – The results of this study revealed that leadership styles differ depending on the type of organization. It can be argued that most of the subordinates in the organizations where the managers are appointed believes that their managers have the qualities of a transactional leader.

PDF

___

Abel, M. H. (2002). Humor, stress, and coping strategies. Humor–International Journal of Humor Research, 15(4), 365-381.

Akiş, Y., T., (2004). Türkiye’nin gerçek liderlik haritası. İstanbul: Alfa Basım Yayım Dağıtım Ltd.

Akman, V., Hanoglu, M., & Kızıl, C. (2015). Liderlik ile personel performansı arasındaki ilişki üzerine bir şirket incelemesi. Electronic Journal of Social Sciences, 14(52), 130-145.

Amabile, T. M. (1996). Creativity in context. New York: Westview Press.

Amanchukwu, R. N., Stanley, G. J., & Ololube, N. P. (2015). A review of leadership theories, principles and styles and their relevance to educational management. Management, 5(1), 6-14.

Arendt, L. A. (2009). Transformational leadership and follower creativity: The moderating effect of leader humor. Review of Business Research, 9(4), 100-106.

Avolio, B. J., Howell, J. M., & 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.

Aycan, Z. 2006. Paternalism: Towards conceptual refinement and operationalization. In K. S. Yang, K. K. Hwang, & U. Kim (Eds.), Scientific advances in indigenous psychologies: Empirical, philosophical, and cultural contributions: 445-466. London: Sage Ltd.

Bakan, İ., Erşahan, B., Büyükbeşe, T., Doğan, İ. F., & İlker, K. (2015). Dönüşümcü ve etkileşimci liderlik ile öğretmenlerin tükenmişlik düzeyleri arasındaki ilişki. Uluslararası İktisadi ve İdari İncelemeler Dergisi, 7(14), 201-222.

Bass, B. (1998). Transformational leadership: Individual, military and educational impact. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Mahwah, NJ.

Bass, B. M., & Stogdill, R. M. (1990). Bass & Stogdill's handbook of leadership: Theory, research, and managerial applications. New York: Free Press.

Bertocci, D. I. (2009). Leadership in organizations: There is a difference between leaders and managers. Plymouth: University Press of America.

Bowers, J. D. (2015). Leading versus Managing. Law Prac., 41, 6.

Briton, N. J., & Hall, J. A. (1995). Beliefs about female and male nonverbal communication. Sex Roles, 32(1), 79- 90.

Bulmer, M. G. (2012). Principles of statistics. Dover: Courier Corporation.

Cansoy, R., & Polatcan, M. (2018). Examination of instructional leadership research in Turkey. International Online Journal of Educational Sciences, 10(1), 276-291.

Carless, S. A., Wearing, A. J., & Mann, L. (2000). A short measure of transformational leadership. Journal of business and psychology, 14(3), 389-405.

Çelik, V. (2004). Liderlik. In Y. Özden (Ed.), Eğitim ve okul yöneticiliği el kitabı. Ankara: Pegem A Yayıncılık.

Cemaloğlu, N. (2013). Liderlik. In S. Özdemir (Ed.), Eğitim yönetiminde kuram ve uygulama (pp. 1-8). Ankara: Pegem Akademi Yayınları.

Cemaloğlu, N., Recepoğlu, E., Şahin, F., Daşcı, E., & Köktürk, O. (2012). Mizah davranışları ölçeğinin geliştirilmesi: Geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalışması. Türk Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi, 10(4), 694-716.

Clouse, R. W., & Spurgeon, K. L. (1995). Corporate analysis of humor. Psychology: A journal of human behavior, 32(3), 1-24.

Conger, J. A. (1989). The charismatic leader: Beyond the mystique of exceptional leadership. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Conger, J. A., & Kanungo, R. N. (1987). Toward a behavioral theory of charismatic leadership in organizational settings. Academy of Management Review, 12(4), 637-647.

Covey, S. R. (2005). 8’inci Alışkanlık. İstanbul: Sistem Yayıncılık.

Cramer, D. (1997). Basic statistics for social research: Step-by-step calculations and computer techniques using minitab. London: Routledge.

Crawford, C. B. (1994). Theory and implications regarding the utilization of strategic humor by leaders. Journal of Leadership Studies, 1(4), 53-68.

Fraenkel, J. R., & Wallen, N. E. (2006). How to design and evaluate research in education with PowerWeb (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1996). Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. New York: Harper Collins.

Decker, W. H., & Rotondo, D. M. (2001). Relationships among gender, type of humor, and perceived leader effectiveness. Journal of Managerial Issues, 13(4),450-465.

Dienstbier, R. A. (1995). The impact of humor on energy, tension, task choices, and attributions: Exploring hypotheses from toughness theory. Faculty Publications, Department of Psychology, 19(4), 265-267.

Dixon, N. F. (1980). Humor: Cognitive alternative to stress? In I. G. Sarason & C. D. Spielberger (Eds.), Stress and anxiety (Vol. 7, pp. 281-289). Washington: Hemisphere.

Downton, J. V. (1973). Rebel leadership: Commitment and charisma in the revolutionary process. New York, NY: Free Press.

Dubinsky, A. J., Yammarino, F. J., Jolson, M. A., & Spangler, W. D. (1995). Transformational leadership: An initial investigation in sales management. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 15(2), 17- 31.

Dulewicz, V., & Higgs, M. (2005). Assessing leadership styles and organisational context. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 20(2), 105-123.

Dulewicz, V., & Higgs, M. J. (2004). Design of a new instrument to assess leadership dimensions and styles. Selection and development review, 20(2), 7-12.

Duncan, W. J. (1982). Humor in management: Prospects for administrative practice and research. Academy of Management Review, 7(1), 136-142.

Duncan, W. J., Smeltzer, L. R., & Leap, T. L. (1990). Humor and work: Applications of joking behavior to management. Journal of Management, 16(2), 255-278.

Ercan, Ü., & Sığrı, Ü. (2015). Kültürel Değerlerin Liderlik Özelliklerine Etkisi: Türk ve Amerikalı Yöneticiler Üzerine Bir Araştırma. Amme İdaresi Dergisi, 48(3), 95-126.

Ertürk, M. (2000). İşletmelerde yönetim ve organizasyon. İstanbul: Beta Basım Yayım Dağıtım.

Evans, J. D. (1996). Straightforward statistics for the behavioral sciences. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing

Farh, J. L., & Cheng, B. S. (2000). A cultural analysis of paternalistic leadership in Chinese organizations. In J. T. Li, Tsui, A. S. & E. Weldon (eds), Management and organizations in the Chinese context (pp. 84- 127). London: Palgrave Macmillan.

Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using SPSS (4th ed.). London: Sage publications.

George, D., & Mallery, M. (2010). SPSS for Windows Step by Step: A Simple Guide and Reference, 17.0 update (10th ed.). Boston: Pearson.

Goffee, R., & Jones, G. (2000). Why should anyone be led by you? Harward Business Review (September- October), 63-70.

Göka, E. (2009). Türklerde liderlik ve fanatizm. İstanbul: Timaş Yayınları.

Goldstein, J. H. (1976). Theoretical notes on humor. Journal of Communication, 26(3), 104-112.

Goswami, A., Nair, P., Beehr, T., & Grossenbacher, M. (2016). The relationship of leaders’ humor and employees’ work engagement mediated by positive emotions: Moderating effect of leaders’ transformational leadership style. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 37(8), 1083-1099.

Gruner, C. R. (1997). The game of humor: A comprehensive theory of why we laugh. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction.

Hahs-Vaughn, D. L., & Lomax, R. G. (2013). An introduction to statistical concepts. New York: Routledge.

Hayek, M., Novicevic, M. M., Humphreys, J. H., & Jones, N. (2010). Ending the denial of slavery in management history: Paternalistic leadership of Joseph Emory Davis. Journal of Management History, 16(3), 367-379.

Higgs, M., & Rowland, D. (2001). Developing change leaders: Assessing the impact of a development programme. Journal of Change Management, 2(1), 47-64.

Hof, R., Rebello, K., & Burrows, P. (1996). Scott McNealy's rising sun. Business Week, 22, 66-73.

Hogan, R., Curphy, G. J., & Hogan, J. (1994). What we know about leadership: Effectiveness and personality. American psychologist, 49(6), 493-504.

Holmes, J., & Marra, M. (2006). Humor and leadership style. Walter de Gruyter, 19(2), 119-138.

House, R., & Dessler, G. (1974). The path goal theory of leadership: Some post hoc and a priori tests. In J. Hunt & L. Larson (Eds.), Contingency Approaches to Leadership Carbondale Southern Illinois University Press.

House, R. J. (1976). A 1976 theory of charismatic leadership. Paper presented at the 4th Biennial Leadership Symposium, Southern Illinois University.

Hudson, W. G. (1980). The role of humor in John F. Kennedy's 1960 presidential campaign. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Southern Illinois University. Carbondale, IL.

Jones, G. E., & Bear, S. E. (2018). Gender Differences and Perceived Efficacy of Humor Styles in the Workplace. In Emerging Challenges in Business, Optimization, Technology, and Industry (pp. 199-203): Springer.

Jung, D. I., Chow, C., & Wu, A. (2003). The role of transformational leadership in enhancing organizational innovation: Hypotheses and some preliminary findings. The Leadership Quarterly, 14(4-5), 525-544.

Kahn, W. A. (1989). Toward a sense of organizational humor: Implications for organizational diagnosis and change. The Journal of applied behavioral science, 25(1), 45-63.

Katz, J. (1996). Is this the perfect place to work. Los Angeles Times Magazine, June, 9(32), 375-403.

Keçecioğlu, T. (1998). Liderlik ve liderler. İstanbul: Kalder.

Koçel, T. (2001). İşletme yöneticiliği (yönetim ve organizasyon, organizasyonlarda davranış, klasik-modernçağdaş ve güncel yaklaşımlar) İstanbul: Beta.

Köksal, O. (2011). Bir kültürel liderlik paradoksu: Paternalizm. Mustafa Kemal Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 8(15), 101-122.

Lee, D. (2015). The impact of leader's humor on employees' creativity: The moderating role of trust in leader. Seoul Journal of Business, 21(1), 59-86.

Lippitt, G. (1982). Humor: A laugh a day keeps the incongruities at bay. Training and Development Journal, 36(11), 98-100.

Locke, E. A. (1999). The essence of leadership: The four keys to leading successfully. Boston: Lexington Books.

Lovaglia, M. J., Rogalin, C. L., Soboroff, S. D., Kelley, C. P., & Lucas, J. W. (2008). Humor and the Effectiveness of Diverse Leaders. In J. Clay-Warner & D. T. Robinson (Eds.), Social Structure and Emotion (pp. 21- 35). San Diego, CA: Elsevier.

Lussier, B., Grégoire, Y., & Vachon, M.-A. (2017). The role of humor usage on creativity, trust and performance in business relationships: An analysis of the salesperson-customer dyad. Industrial Marketing Management, 65, 168-181.

Ma, Y., Cheng, W., Ribbens, B. A., & Zhou, J. (2013). Linking ethical leadership to employee creativity: Knowledge sharing and self-efficacy as mediators. Social Behavior and Personality: An international journal, 41(9), 1409-1419.

Malone, P. B. (1980). Humor: a double-edged tool for today’s managers? Academy of Management Review, 5(3), 357-360.

Martin, J. (2015). Transformational and transactional leadership: An exploration of gender, experience, and institution type. Portal: Libraries and the Academy, 15(2), 331-351.

Martin, R. A. 2007. The psychology of humor: An integrative approach. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier

Martin, R. A., & Lefcourt, H. M. (1983). Sense of humor as a moderator of the relation between stressors and moods. Journal of personality and social psychology, 45(6), 1313-1324.

Martinez, P. G. (2003). Paternalism as a positive form of leader–subordinate exchange: Evidence from Mexico. Management Research: Journal of the Iberoamerican Academy of Management, 1(3), 227-242.

Meliones, J. (2000). Saving money, saving lives. Harvard business review, 78(6), 57-65.

Meyer, J. (1990). Ronald Reagan and humor: A politician's velvet weapon. Communication Studies, 41(1), 76- 88.

Mulkay, M. J. (1988). On humor: Its nature and its place in modern society. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Murdock, M. C., & Ganim, R. M. (1993). Creativity and humor: Integration and incongruity. The Journal of Creative Behavior, 27(1), 57-70.

Mussolino, D., & Calabrò, A. (2014). Paternalistic leadership in family firms: Types and implications for intergenerational succession. Journal of Family Business Strategy, 5(2), 197-210.

Napier, R. W., & Gershenfeld, M. K. (1993). Groups: Theory and experience. Geneva, Illinois: Houghton Mifflin.

Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice: Sage publications.

Ören, K., Acar, H., & Kandemir, H. (2016). Refah devleti paradoksu olarak kamuda taşeron çalışma sistemi: Isparta örneği. HAK-İŞ Uluslararası Emek ve Toplum Dergisi, 5(11), 154-183.

Öztop, İ. (2008). Liderlik tarzları ve örgüt kültürü tipleri arasındaki ilişki ve bu ilişkinin nitel performans üzerine etkisi (MsD), Gebze Yüksek Teknoloji Enstitüsü, İzmit.

Pellegrini, E. K., & Scandura, T. A. (2006). Leader–member exchange (LMX), paternalism, and delegation in the Turkish business culture: An empirical investigation. Journal of international business studies, 37(2), 264-279.

Potts, J. (2009). A history of charisma: Springer. Priest, R. F., & Swain, J. E. (2002). Humor and its implications for leadership effectiveness. Humor, 15(2), 169- 190.

Pundt, A., & Venz, L. (2017). Personal need for structure as a boundary condition for humor in leadership. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 38(1), 87-107.

Recepoğlu, E. (2011). Öğretmen algılarına göre okul müdürlerinin mizah tarzları ile öğretim liderliği davranışları ve okulun örgütsel sağlığı arasındaki ilişki. Doctoral dissertation, Gazi Üniversitesi, Ankara.

Recepoğlu, E., & Özdemir, S. (2012). Okul müdürlerinin mizah tarzları ile öğretim liderliği davranışları arasındaki ilişki. İnönü Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi, 13(3), 23-42.

Rizzo, B. J., Wanzer, M. B., & Booth‐Butterfield, M. (1999). Individual differences in managers’ use of humor. Subordinate perceptions of managers’ humor. Communication Research Reports, 16(4), 360-369.

Robinson, M. D., & Johnson, J. (1997). Is it emotion or is it stress? Gender stereotypes and the perception of subjective experience. Sex Roles, 36(3-4), 235-258.

Romero, E . J ., & C ruthirds, K . W . ( 2006). T he u se o f h umor in t he w orkplace. A cademy o f M anagement Perspectives, 20(2), 58-69.

Şenol, B. (2015). Creativity and sense of humor of elementary school principals. Unpublished master's thesis. Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Eğitim Bilimleri Enstitüsü, İzmir.

Sezgin, F. (2013). Okul yöneticisi ve liderlik. In S. Özdemir (Ed.), Türk eğitim sistemi ve okul yönetimi. Ankara: Pegem Akademi Yayıncılık.

Shamir, B. (1995). Social distance and charisma: Theoretical notes and an exploratory study. The Leadership Quarterly, 6(1), 19-47.

Shaw, M. E. (1955). A comparison of two types of leadership in various communication nets. The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 50(1), 127.

Singer, M. S., & Singer, A. (1990). Situational constraints on transformational versus transactional leadership behavior, subordinates' leadership preference, and satisfaction. The Journal of Social Psychology, 130(3), 385-396.

Smith, J. W., & Khojasteh, M. (2014). Use of humor in the workplace. International Journal of Management & Information Systems, 18(1), 71-78.

Timmers, M., Fischer, A., & Manstead, A. (2003). Ability versus vulnerability: Beliefs about men's and women's emotional behaviour. Cognition & Emotion, 17(1), 41-63.

Türesin, T. H., & Köse, S. (2015). Örgüt çalışanlarının paternalistik liderlik algıları ve öğrenilmiş güçlülük düzeyleri arasındaki ilişkilerin incelenmesi. Uluslararası Yönetim İktisat ve İşletme Dergisi, 11(26), 29- 56.

Vernon, P. A., Martin, R. A., Schermer, J. A., Cherkas, L. F., & Spector, T. D. (2008). Genetic and environmental contributions to humor styles: A replication study. Twin Res Hum Genet, 11(1), 44-47.

Voich, D. (1995). Comparative empirical analysis of cultural values and perceptions of political economy issues. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers.

Weber, M. (1947). The theory of social and economic organization: Oxford University Press.

Yang, I., Kitchen, P. J., & Bacouel-Jentjens, S. (2017). How to promote relationship-building leadership at work? A comparative exploration of leader humor behavior between North America and China. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 28(10), 1454-1474.

Yirci, R., Özdemir, T., & Kartal, E. (2016). Okul yöneticilerinin mizah yönelimleri. İnsan ve Toplum Bilimleri Araştırmaları Dergisi, 5(8), 2479-2495.

Yue, X. D., & Hui, A. N. (2015). Humor styles, creative personality traits, and creative thinking in a Hong Kong sample. Psychological Reports, 117(3), 845-855.

Yukl, G. A. (2010). Leadership in organizations. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson.

Ziv, A. (1990). Humor and giftedness. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 13, 332-345.