Leader humor: a double-edged sword

Leader humor has been considered one of the most promising yet least understood influential tools by psychologists and management scholars. Here, I review the growing body of research on leader humor and its implications for followers and organizations, showing that despite being theorized as a positive leadership tool, leader humor can function as a double-edged sword in bringing both beneficial and detrimental outcomes for followers and organizations.In the process, I identify six distinct mechanisms (three positive and three negative) through which leader humor affects followers. In a way, leader humor can be used to reduce or increase the social and psychological distance between leaders and followers. I also discuss the directions for future research on leader humor.