Humour in Managerial Communication
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb057451 |
| Published date | 01 September 1986 |
| Pages | 5-8 |
| Date | 01 September 1986 |
| Author | Jack Mendleson,Steven Golen,Patricia Adams |
| Subject Matter | Economics,Information & knowledge management,Management science & operations |
Humour in
Managerial
Communication
by Jack Mendleson
Department of Management, College
of Business, Arizona State University,
Steven Golen
Department of General Business, College
of Business, Arizona State University, and
Patricia Adams
Systems Analyst, International Business
Machines (IBM), Houston
Introduction
In the past few years, comic techniques — word play, jok-
ing,
story-telling — have come into increasing acceptance
as tools of business communication. Until recently, most
managers were wary of using humour as a communication
technique in the business setting, and there seemed to be
a prevailing attitude that the two, humour and business, did
not mix. It was also believed that speeches and meetings
were serious professional gatherings where the use of
humour was not only inadvisable, but inappropriate as
well.
Many managers questioned the value of humour in
organisational settings.
However, a recent flurry of humorous books suggests that
managers are opening up to humorous possibilities. These
include The One Minute Manager, The 59-Second
Subor-
dinate, What They Don't
Teach You
at The Harvard Business
School, and, in a somewhat more scholarly
vein,
The Ropes
to Skip and the Ropes to Know.
Therefore, the purpose of this article is to present some
areas that managers need to be aware of when consider-
ing humour as a managerial technique. Some implications
for humour research will also be presented.
Defining Humour
What is humour and what are its implications for manage-
ment? There are no clear-cut answers to these questions.
We are all aware of what is funny to each of us, but humour
and laughter are both situation-specific and person-specific.
Humour has been described as a "courage mechanism"[1],
"a defense against life's vexations and woes"[2], "a reac-
tion to the incongruities of life"[3], a "tension reliever"[4]
and "a frame of mind, a manner of perceiving and experien-
cing life"[5]. Humour is perhaps all of these. It is an impor-
tant element or tool of interpersonal communication which
can be used to share messages (non-verbally), to relieve
stress, and to relay interest or even angry or hurt feelings.
In public speaking, humour can be used to grab audience
attention,
to put both the audience and the speaker at ease
(or create empathy for the speaker) and to make a specific
point. But there is really no correct way to define
humour;
it is individualised.
If, however, we explore dictionary definitions of humour[6],
we discover some interesting continuities:
(1) Humour refers to a mental experience, of discover-
ing and appreciating ludicrous or absurdly in-
congruous ideas, events, or situations.
(2) It refers to certain attributes of an event that make
us laugh. Adjectives which describe humorous
events include: absurd, incongruous, ridiculous,
ludicrous, funny, amusing and mirthful.
(3) Humour is not an emotion in itself, but relates to
various emotions, such as joy and anger.
(4) People who are seen as possessing "good senses
of humour" are not only quick to perceive the kind
of events described above, but also derive special en-
joyment from humorous events. Presumably they
"send and receive" humour.
(5) Humour (like beauty) exists only in our minds and
not in the "real world". In short, if we have to come
up with a general definition of humour, it can be
defined as a form of intellectual play. This play may
be entirely "playful", with no other apparent purpose
than to "have fun" or reduce tension. Or, it may be
quite serious in intent, as when designed to expand
existing knowledge, or cause others to see a situa-
tion in a new light.
Humour as a Relaxer
Within the past 20 years, the business world in general has
evolved from a conservative, predictable arena to one which
is fast-paced, rather unpredictable, and quite stressful to the
modern executive. Prior to the late 1960s, the economy of
the US was fairly stable; inflation was generally low, and
interest rates were "manageable". There was little change
in economic conditions, other than that which was due to
fluctuations in the business cycle. Managers were able to
prepare for the future with ease.
The advent of the Vietnam War and an increasingly volatile
world economy led to unstable conditions in the domestic
(US) economy. Interest rates and market conditions now
fluctuate wildly, and the business world is much less
"stable"
than before. Plans made yesterday may crumble
in the wake of today's developments, and most executives
really have to "stay on their toes" to survive in position. The
average executive changes jobs and relocates twice as often
as the executive of the past. An estimated 500,000 people
will be moved within their firms this year alone. Under these
conditions, humour can be useful as a relaxation
tool,
if
nothing else. Humour in the work place has evolved as a
coping
skill,
a way to ease the tensions of the day, a plea-
sant experience during some rather unpleasant times.
"Stress is as much a part of corporate life as the annual
meeting and balance sheet"[7] and many "experts" have
proposed solutions to this problem. Many of these solutions
consist of merely breaking up the routine of the average
IMDS • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER • 1986 5
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