Laughing and Having Fun in Business: Humor as a Tool for Enhancing Leadership

Résumé du document

The study was my eagerness for humor, fun and laughter in the day-to-day life. While finding out information on the relation between humor, the sense of humor and laughter and the corporate world, we found that this subject was more relevant than what many people could think. Actually, some studies have already dealt with the role of humor in the global corporate performance. Nevertheless, most of previous studies and papers are about one specific subject. For instance, what is the direct relation between gender and type of humor? Is humor applicable in the US Army? On the hand, we wanted to orientate our study based on a leader, not really around the phenomenon of leadership, but more around the person. We were interested in notions of charisma as a tool to enhance communication, team building and give an efficient turn to the leadership process. But the studies are very extensive on this theme. Then naturally came the question of the use of humor that was "one of the least understood and the most valid tools for management and leadership? (Sir Brian Wolfson, 1991). Key words : Leadership, Humor, Laughter, Corporate communication.

Extraits

[...] Thus, Cohesiveness and team spirit created by the use of humor is also useful for reducing stress. So, all is linked together. Humor has to be taken as an all-in-one package for improving productivity in today's organizations. Communication improvement Many authors view communication as the major feature of the manager's skills. C.B. Crawford, from Fort Hays State University, argues that understanding the specificities of communication tools (the various type of messages, the relational components, the content) is fundamental to “better inform leaders of tomorrow”. [...]

[...] So we need today more researches on - Can humor be a good lever for integrating women at work? - Is humor more efficient with men leaders or with women leaders? - Is humor an effective tool in case of crisis? Is it the only tool? Is it appropriate? - Can humor reverse the position of a leader? - What could be the real impacts of a bad style of humor (negative and aggressive humor, as we've seen) from the leader on the followers? [...]

[...] For using humor, you have to be humorous yourself, with you. Then what to advise to a company who wants to develop humor in its walls. After this examination, we would answer them to opt for well-being seminars, instead of humor presentation seminar, where employees laugh on a gifted-entertainer telling them to do like he does. But employees go out from the courses pertinently knowing that they are unable to like he did”. We still observ those reactions because, in people' conscience, humor is still an inborn gift. [...]

[...] Just think of me as a friend—a friend who's always right!". pleasant workplace can establish a strong team spirit hence increase productivity. Seriousness pushes people away, yet humor brings people together” (Ping & Kleiner, 2005). McGhee says that today's companies insist on the importance of building a team spirit at all levels of organizations. It is simple enough: when employees as individuals feel like a part of a whole, they are likely much more ready to invest and involve in the goals of the team (McGhee, 1999). [...]

[...] References Yi-Ping Lee & Brian Kleiner, How to use humor for stress management, Management Research News, Vol No 11/12/2005 Accountemps, a division of Robert Half International Inc. (RHI) , is the world's first and largest specialized temporary staffing company for accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. Ambitious chairman of Wembley Stadium who loved to buy companies, fix them and sell them. Died in July 2007. [...]