Leader humor: a double-edged sword

Leader humor has been considered the most promising yet least understood influential tool 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 a way, leader humor can be used to reduce or increase social and psychological distance between leaders and followers. I also discuss the direction of future research on leader humor.