Leadership has been found to affect individual and organizational innovation. Use of humor is a characteristic of leadership, and has been identified as a moderator of leadership style and individual or unit-level performance. Yet, the link between use of humor by leaders and employee innovative behavior has not been examined. This study examines the relationships between use of humor by leaders, employee communication, group cohesiveness, and employee innovative behavior, using a survey of 239 employees of R&D departments in 31 of Taiwan’s manufacturing firms. Results indicate that the use of humor by leaders made a significant positive contribution to employee innovative behavior. These relationships were mediated by both employee communication and group cohesiveness. Research and managerial implications are also discussed.
Tang, Y. T. (2008). The relationship between use of humor by leaders and R&D employee innovative behavior: Evidence from Taiwan. Asia Pacific Management Review, 13(3), 635-653.
10.6126/APMR.2008.13.3.06
