By integrating insights from cognitive style literature and person-environment fit theory, our study aims to explore which type of entrepreneurs are more inclined to initiate humor behaviors, the circumstances under which such behaviors are more likely to be employed within entrepreneurial teams and the specific benefits of humor behaviors for initiators.
This paper analyzes humor behaviors in entrepreneurial teams through a three-wave time-lagged field survey of 227 entrepreneurs in China.
We find that entrepreneurs with higher creating style are more likely to exhibit humor, making them more popular within entrepreneurial teams. Additionally, the positive relationship is amplified in the presence of high levels of conflict.
Previous studies provide substantial evidence of the positive effects of humor behaviors on their recipients in the workplace; however, there has been limited focus on the antecedents of humor behaviors and the benefits for the humor initiators. Our study addresses the gaps by providing empirical evidence that creating style of entrepreneurs may promote humor behaviors, particularly in the context of conflicts within entrepreneurial teams, and such behaviors could elevate entrepreneurs’ social acceptance within teams.
