Linking Leaders’ Humor Styles and Employees’ Organizational Creativity: Moderating Role of Organizational Tenure

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to determine the relationship between the positive (self-enhancing, affiliative) and negative (self-defeating, aggressive) use of humor of leaders and the organizational creativity of employees. The moderating role of organizational tenure in the relationship between humor styles and organizational creativity is also examined. The data used in the research are gathered by questionnaire from 335 employees working in different organizations. Research hypotheses are tested by hierarchical regression analysis. As a result of the research, a positive relationship is determined between the use of self-enhancing and affiliative humor of leaders and organizational creativity, and a negative relationship is determined between the use of aggressive humor and organizational creativity. The findings also indicate that organizational tenure has a moderation role in the relationship between affiliative humor and organizational creativity and between aggressive humor and organizational creativity.