Humorous yet safe: the contrasting moderating effects of leader integrity and leader humor differentiation on the linkage between leader humor and team creativity

Although leader humor has been widely advocated in the workplace, the influence of leader humor on team creative outcomes remains to be explored. Drawing on social information processing theory and the superiority theory of humor, we proposed that leader humor, as the origin of relevant and significant information for team members, could nurture team psychological safety and subsequent team creativity. Moreover, due to the ambiguity nature of leader humor as well as the duality function of leader humor, leader behavioral integrity and leader humor differentiation act as the boundary conditions for the utility of leader humor in teams. Specifically, leader behavioral integrity strengthened, but leader humor differentiation weakened the positive relationship between leader humor and team psychological safety, as well as the positive indirect relationship between leader humor and team creativity through team psychological safety. Using a sample of 380 members and 110 team leaders, we found support for the first-stage moderated mediation model. Theoretical and managerial implications about leader humor are discussed.