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How leader humor stimulates subordinate boundary-spanning behavior: A social information processing theory
Xi Wang1, Songbo Liu1, Wen Feng1
1School of Labor and Human Resources, Renmin University of China, Beijing, China.
Frontiers in Psychology
|October 3, 2022
Summary
Leader humor boosts team boundary-spanning behavior by fostering psychological safety. This effect is amplified when employees possess high interpersonal influence, enhancing collaboration and information exchange.
Area of Science:
- Organizational Behavior
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Leader humor is increasingly recognized for its impact on workplace dynamics.
- Understanding the mechanisms through which leader humor influences employee behavior is crucial for effective management.
- Boundary-spanning behavior is vital for organizational adaptation and innovation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of leader humor on subordinate boundary-spanning behavior.
- To elucidate the mediating role of psychological safety in this relationship.
- To examine the moderating effect of subordinate interpersonal influence.
Main Methods:
- A moderated mediation model was developed based on social information processing theory.
- Multiwave data were collected from 452 members across 140 teams in a Chinese IT company.
- Statistical analyses were employed to test the proposed hypotheses.
Main Results:
- Leader humor significantly and positively influenced subordinate boundary-spanning behavior.
- Psychological safety mediated the relationship between leader humor and boundary-spanning behavior.
- The positive effect of leader humor was stronger for subordinates with high interpersonal influence.
Conclusions:
- Leader humor enhances boundary-spanning activities by increasing psychological safety.
- Subordinate interpersonal influence acts as a crucial boundary condition, strengthening this effect.
- Findings provide theoretical and practical implications for leadership and team effectiveness.
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