Linking leader humor to innovative work behavior: a mixed-method investigation

Purpose Drawing upon the conservation of resource theory, the purpose of this paper is to explore the role of leader humor in employee innovative work behavior (IWB) and to investigate the mediating role of psychological safety and knowledge sharing in this relationship. Design/methodology/approach At first, in-depth semi-structured questions are asked to few working professionals working in Indian knowledge economy sectors (n = 24), and the data is analyzed through thematic analysis. In a follow-up study, a quantitative survey is conducted with professionals from similar industry (n = 223) to test whether leader humor leads to a psychologically safe workplace and if that in turn influences employees’ knowledge sharing intention and IWB. A serial mediation analysis is conducted to test the hypotheses. Findings Study 1 identifies the role of humor in enhancing employee IWB and reveals critical role of psychological safety and knowledge sharing as intermediary factors. Study 2 provides evidence that psychological safety and knowledge sharing serially mediate the linkage between leader humor and IWB. Practical implications This study highlights the importance of using humor by leaders for creating a psychological safe environment where employees are not hesitant to share knowledge. Further, leader humor can eventually trigger employee IWB. Originality/value This is a novel attempt at understanding the vital role of leader humor in evoking employee pro-social work behavior such as innovative mindset.