Humor, a communicative tactic used to engender support, is often used, but rarely understood. The literature in the field of humor has attempted to define situations where humor could be beneficial, although few definitive answers exist relating humor to effective leadership communicative behavior. This paper presents current research findings…

This paper presents a state-of-the-art examination of the literature addressing humor in leadership. A theoretical rationale is developed for the importance of humor as functional communication, especially as it relates to leadership. Research from several disciplines relevant to the use of humor in leadership is organized and synthesized.…