The role of humor in high-level corporate communication has been largely overlooked in research until now. A recent study from the University of Passau aims to fill this gap.

The study identifies four types of CEO humor, dividing them into positive and negative categories. On the positive side, there’s affiliative humor, where the CEO pokes fun at others in a friendly manner, and self-enhancing humor, where the CEO playfully elevates themselves. On the negative side, there’s self-defeating humor, where the CEO jokes about their own weaknesses, and aggressive humor, where the CEO mocks others at their expense.

Types of humor

The researchers argue that the type of humor a CEO employs affects how organizations are perceived by key intermediaries like journalists and analysts. Positive humor tends to put these intermediaries in a good mood and aligns with their expectations of a CEO’s role, resulting in a favorable perception of the company. However, negative humor, such as self-defeating or aggressive humor, can deviate from these expectations and lead to negative evaluations.

Interestingly, while self-defeating humor is often seen as a way for leaders to connect with their followers, it may not be as effective or appropriate for CEOs. Using this type of humor could actually backfire, causing infomediaries to view the CEO and the organization less favorably.

“Even if we dislike it: The stock market and other audiences will likely punish CEOs who reveal weaknesses very often and put themselves down,” the researchers explain.

Unfair rewards

On the other hand, aggressive CEO humor, while it goes against social norms, undermines the CEO’s role as a model, and belittles others, might have its benefits for CEOs in terms of how a company’s competitiveness is evaluated.

“The problem is that, regrettably, a sharp-elbow style of management continues to dominate in audiences’ minds,” the authors continue.

Therefore, even if infomediaries have negative feelings towards a company and anticipate it to act less appropriately when a CEO exhibits aggressive humor, they probably assume that CEOs who demonstrate assertiveness and dominance through such humor are more capable of making their company stand out and succeed.