Article by Inova
Leadership style is a significant factor in motivating the team and the workplace environment. With the increasing popularity of remote working workstyle since the beginning of Covid-19, managers and leaders may find it challenging to maintain motivation in the workplace. Are there cures to relieve disconnection or loneliness at work?
Perhaps a successful leader should constitute humour. Suggested by Orme (2020), the author of The Human Edge, ‘humour takes a team beyond cohesion and into creativity because a lighter mood makes brainstorming more effective.’ If humour can promote ingenuity and creativity, it will be very rewarding because modern businesses need incremental innovation to maintain a competitive advantage.
Neuropsychological studies have found that the use of humour associates with dopamine release. Dopamine is our ‘feel-good’ hormone allowing us to experience happiness in general. Besides people enjoying being around positive and funny individuals, Dowthwaite (2017) added that positive witticism is often associated with trust and intelligence since humour reduces conflict and improves relationship satisfaction, extroversion, and high self-esteem. Therefore, humour is a powerful tool to ‘enhance group cohesiveness and organisational culture’ when individuals feel happy, valued, and connected in work.
How to be a humorous manager?
Of course, human interaction is the most natural method for everyone to feel more connected than ever to promote witticism effectively. Managers and leaders need to ensure the virtual environment is not solely about all work and no play for remote working teams. Team morale can be improved with humour by introducing your pets (fluffy coworkers!), virtual happy hours, and online trivia games.
Human Resource Innovation is another key concept that managers and leaders can consider in implementing new technologies and ideas to accommodate the organizational structure and employees. Such innovation suggests that integrating positive and approachable personalities into talent management would be a decent start to developing a happy workplace with sociable leaders.
So go ahead. Add a bit of humour into your working life and see the difference it makes.
References
Dowthwaite, L., 2017. Funny people are also more intelligent, according to new research. [Online]
Available at: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/10/funny-people-are-also-more-intelligent-according-to-new-research/
[Accessed 16 September 2021].
Orme, G., 2020. Why humour is a serious business for leaders facing crisis. [Online]
Available at: https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/voices/comment/humour-is-serious-business-for-leaders-facing-crisis#gref
[Accessed 16 September 2021].
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