This is the first book to look at the psychological processes that enable humor to affect people and teams in the workplace. It recognizes that humor plays many roles beyond making people feel happier and more productive, and acknowledges humor’s potential darker side as well.
Bringing together a small but growing field of study, the book features chapters around core psychological topics such perception, creativity and stress, while also addressing organizational issues such as leadership, teamwork, and social networks. The collection concludes with chapters on the role of humor in recruitment processes, as well as how humor consultants work with organizations.
Each chapter in The Psychology of Humor at Work not only provides a comprehensive review of what is known in that area, but also considers future directions for research and practice. It will prove fascinating reading for students, practitioners and researchers in organizational psychology, HRM, and business and management.
List of contributors 1. Humor at work: Often experienced, seldom studied. Christopher Robert 2. Humor and Leadership. Cecily D. Cooper 3. Humor and person perception. Lisa M. Finkelstein, Cynthia A. Cerrentano, & Elora C. Voyles 4. Humor and organizational networks: Functions and dysfunctions. James D. Westaby & B. Alan Echtenkamp 5. Humor and creativity. Emuna Eliav, Ella Miron-Spektor, & Julia B. Bear 6. Humor, stress, and coping. Melanie Booth-Butterfield & Melissa Bekelja Wanzer 7. Humor in workgroups and teams. John Crowe, Joseph A. Allen, & Nale Lehmann-Willenbrock 8. Humor in job search and recruitment. Serge P. da Motta Veiga 9. Humor consulting. John Morreall 10. Paradoxes in workplace humor research: Theory, culture, and the messy work of moving forward. Christopher Robert & Scott U. Seyrek. Index
Biography
Christopher Robert is an Associate Professor of Management in the Trulaske College of Business at the University of Missouri, Columbia. His research focuses on humor at work, as well as cross-cultural management, work groups and teams, and conflict.
'The Psychology of Humor at Work makes a significant contribution to our understanding of humor in the workplace across a wide range of contexts. This is an important book for anyone who wants a deeper understanding of the serious business of humor.' Chuck Gulas, Wright State University, USA
'The authors bring perfect order to the paradoxes inherent in research on humor in the workplace, humor being both "simultaneously everywhere and nowhere" and "extraordinarily complex but also very simple". They do this by presenting a clear and valuable outline of crucial research questions, empirical findings and prevailing theories and models; and by convincingly encouraging researchers to just go ahead, embracing the above ambiguities.' Lita Lundquist, Professor Emeritus, Department of Business and Politics, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
