A joke a day: Supervisor humor as a buffer against coercive power

Purpose Prior research on coercive power has largely oversimplified employee responses, portraying them as uniform or lacking in context. To address this limitation, this study examines whether a leader’s humorous interactional style alters how subordinates interpret and react to coercive power. Specifically, we explore the role of humor in shaping leader–member exchange (LMX) and its downstream implications for employee engagement and task performance. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through a two-wave survey of 154 full-time employees. Moderated mediation analyses were conducted to test the conditional indirect effects of coercive power on employee outcomes through LMX, contingent on supervisor humor. Findings Results indicate that supervisor coercive power is negatively related to LMX, which in turn reduces employee engagement and task performance. However, this indirect negative effect is attenuated when supervisors display a humorous interactional style, suggesting that when a supervisor is more humorous, coercive power becomes more palatable to subordinates. Originality/value This work extends prior research that has largely viewed subordinates’ responses to leaders’ coercive power as uniform, linear, and disconnected from the broader supervisor-subordinate relationship dynamic. It highlights the importance of considering the socio-relational conditions that shape how coercive power operates and affects employee outcomes.