7 ROLES OF HUMOUR IN AN ORGANIZATION

A collection of people without a purpose, goals, objectives or target is just a playgroup and cannot be rightly qualified as an organization. What makes an organization what it is, is its set aims and objectives, as well as the goals to which it is committed. Over the years, it has become a trite knowledge that certain specific factors constitute the core values of any given organization and these values guide the actions and policies of the organization towards the realization of their set goals. 



The constituent factors sometimes include; effective communication, creativity, team spirit and healthy relationship among others. Humour, however is a potent means of generating, sustaining and enhancing the factors mentioned above. In any successful organization, humour, as a principle, plays a key role.

This writing will therefore consider seriatim, the roles of humour in any organization;

BREAKS COMMUNICATION BARRIER- Regardless of whatever could be the aims and objectives of any given organization, communication will always be an integral part of their task, whether in meetings, memos, bulletins, customer service, public relation, advertisement, discussion between managers and other employee etc. Getting attention and sustaining interest is key to making any of the listed above communication processes effective and successful. According to a poll by Newsweek, 64% of employees in a particular group claimed that their greatest challenge was poor communication with the management, which adversely affect their tasks and eventually their output. Observations and studies have authoritatively posited that as long as distinction exists between management and non-management staff, there will always be barriers to good communication, because a psychological wide gap is always present between the two classes. Most junior staff look at their superior as a superhuman, an infallible creature who is not subjected to their own kind of human limitations, hence the fear to communicate their feelings because they feel he is not capable of understanding or appreciating their position. So whenever a top rank officer uses humour, especially a self deprecated humour, such that highlights his own weaknesses or mistakes, it sends a message to the subconscious of the junior staff that he or she is equally a regular, normal person and that creates the “he is one of us” feelings, which automatically break any form of barrier whatsoever.

BONDS TEAM TOGETHER (Encourages team work) - While the previous point discussed is vertical, this is horizontal. It is just like breaking communication and relationship barriers among contemporaries. This could be a unit, committee or subgroup within an organization. No organization can make a significant progress without openness and comfort in bringing up difficult issues. Hence, Organizations need to always maintain an open and relaxed work atmosphere. This responsibility lies on the superior or the head of the unit. After he/she has successfully pulled down the barrier standing between himself and others, he must make another effort to pull the team members together in order to forge ahead. I could remember my days as the head of the publicity unit at the Christian lawyer fellowship of Nigeria (CLASFON), Nigerian Law School. Our projection during services, our board notices, our dance steps during family songs and the likes was so humorous that we became one family and the envy of the whole fellowship. The result of this bonding was that our task became fun and a lot easier, hence our unit’s efficiency was second to none, and new members kept joining the family all through the session.

ENHANCE CREATIVITY THROUGH INTELLECTUAL LIBERTY- The major enemies of creativity are fear of rejection and fear of failure. These two fears stem out of the fear of ridicule. When a working atmosphere has been humorously conditioned, fear of ridicule fizzles out and man becomes less careful to make his ideas known. History has thought us that most great ideas are spontaneous, but they can only be promptly communicated when the atmosphere is free of tension, fear of rejection and fear of ridicule. The first place an elevator was built outside a building in the history of architecture was El-Cortez Hotel in San Diego. When the former elevator couldn’t handle the traffic anymore, experts were deliberating on a possibility of putting another elevator at the basement, when a janitor overheard them and he asked “Do you know what I will do if I were you?” they asked him “what?  He replied “I will build the elevator on the outside” and that was it. You will quite agree with me that before an ordinary Janitor could voice out his idea to such experts, there was no communication barrier or fear whatsoever, and the working atmosphere must have been humorously conditioned.

MANAGE AND RESOLVE CONFLICT- It is a well known fact that humour and laughter are incompatible with anger and other negative emotions. Also, it is a trite knowledge that most times anger is a result of stress, frustration and fatigue. Sometimes a statement that should ordinarily evoke laughter can lead to a disastrous fracas, when stress and frustration is in place.  In any organization, timely humour can help reduce tension and suppress frustrations. When the intervention is not so timely, and a conflict has arisen already, humour still comes in handy in resolving the conflict and dissolving any form of bitterness that could linger afterwards. Once bitterness is dislodged, conflict dies a natural death.

INTRODUCE/ANNOUNCE OFFENSIVE POLICY- George Bernard Shaw says “If you are going to tell people the truth, you’d better make them laugh, otherwise they will kill you”. Human beings are naturally resistant to change, especially when it is initially adverse. Most times, the innate rebellious nature overshadows their reasoning. Humour has a potent way of making people see a glass of milk as half full instead of half empty. It can be skillfully deployed to make the newly introduced policy something very inconsequential or very necessary, and successfully calm down the rebellion it could have ordinarily generated.


MAKE CORRECTIONS WITHOUT DISCOURAGEMENT- It is a great danger for a man to grow beyond corrections, yet wise people are very cautious to correct just anybody, in order not to hurt such person’s ego, dampen his morale and discourage him or her from further contributing. Generally, correction has a natural tone of dissatisfaction, displeasure and at times rejection, but this tone can be transposed to a friendly persuasion to change position, if skillfully done with humour. The rejection feeling basically comes from a perceived feeling of bitterness and desire to hurt one’s ego, most times the corrected person is saddened because he believes the person correcting him is doing so to affirm his superiority. In many organizations, people with opposing views don’t express them out of fear of reprisals or misunderstanding. But it is important that team mates feel comfortable expressing concerns, doubts and reservations about any of their teammate’s idea, especially when making decisions. Humour creates an environment in which opposing views are expressed and corrections made, without any element of fear or risk of bitterness.

REMOVES STRESS AND MAKE TASK ENJOYABLE- Any task whatsoever, no matter how simple can become hectic and boring if done continuously. Ordinary meeting can drain energy and bore one to tears, when not properly handled. Humour is naturally anti-stress, as anything enjoyable cannot be stressful at the same time. Trekking, planning, talking, writing, dancing and even playing can easily become stressful and frustrating when the atmosphere is too serious and tensed. But when the atmosphere is humorously conditioned, one can trek kilometers, talk for hours and dance for days without noticing.

Can you now imagine an organization where all these essentials are missing? They will not only be drained, frustrated, embittered and angered. They will eventually fail. 


- A.K. AFOUDA SAMUEL LLB, BL