Publications
Publications
- July–August 2020
- Harvard Business Review
Sarcasm, Self-Deprecation, and Inside Jokes: A User's Guide to Humor at Work
By: Brad Bitterly and Alison Wood Brooks
Abstract
Humor is widely considered essential in personal relationships, but in leaders, it’s seen as an ancillary behavior. Though some leaders use humor instinctively, many more could wield it purposefully.
Humor helps build interpersonal trust and high-quality work relationships and influences behaviors and attitudes that matter to leadership effectiveness, including employee performance, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and creativity.
These benefits don’t come without potential costs. The guidelines in this article suggest ways to capture the benefits of humor while avoiding the downside risks.
These benefits don’t come without potential costs. The guidelines in this article suggest ways to capture the benefits of humor while avoiding the downside risks.
Keywords
Citation
Bitterly, Brad, and Alison Wood Brooks. "Sarcasm, Self-Deprecation, and Inside Jokes: A User's Guide to Humor at Work." Harvard Business Review 98, no. 4 (July–August 2020): 96–103.
About The Author
