The construction sector is facing many challenges. While the industry is continuously growing, it is simultaneously facing issues. Some of them are new, while others are decades old.
These include the slow adoption of innovation and technology, communication problems, scheduling issues, documentation problems, constantly changing rules and regulations, and meeting demands and deadlines in a high-risk, high-hazard environment.
The key to its growth hinges on whether companies can adapt to demands and reforms to improve the industries’ culture, which starts at the construction site.
A research finding by Dr Ahmad Siddiquei, Assistant Professor of Management at Bond University Business School, provides a key to improving workplace productivity. The answer is laughter. While this may sound too simplistic, using humor as a leadership skill may not be as straightforward as it seems.
Dr Siddiquei said the study was motivated by the construction industry’s unique challenges. He says leader-initiated humor was a powerful tool in an industry known for its challenges – including bullying, skilled labor shortages, and environmental concerns.
“These pressures necessitate exploring new avenues to foster creativity and innovation among teams, making exploring leadership qualities, such as humor, vital for enhancing team dynamics and creative outputs,” Dr. Siddiquei said.
“This research delved into the nuanced relationship between the use of humor and its effects on fostering an environment conducive to creativity and innovation,” Dr. Siddiquei said.
The study findings come from a survey of 165 workers in 45 construction teams in China who work in a stressful environment, facing tight schedules, safety concerns, and poor work-life balance.
The construction industry in China is valued at US$1049 billion and growing at 5% annually, contributing to a quarter of its GDP in 2021.
Dr. Siddiquei says the research reveals the delicate balance project managers must strike between meeting deadlines and fostering an atmosphere where creative risks and radical ideas are welcome.
“It argues that a leader’s sense of humor is a social cue, encouraging workers to think outside the box without fearing consequences.”
He adds that leaders are urged to embrace a good laugh and cultivate strong interpersonal skills to inspire their teams. While laughter can be viewed as disruptive and threatening on the construction site, the study shows it can reduce conflict and improve decision-making during project team meetings.
Three takeaways from the study:
- Project managers should embrace humor
- Leaders need strong interpersonal skills and
- Workplaces should foster an environment that welcomes bold ideas and open communication
Read the study, How and when creativity thrives in construction projects: a study of leader’s humor.
The study’s findings can also be applied beyond the construction sector as it “highlights the critical role of psychological safety as a mediator in the humor-creativity link, suggesting a broader implication for leadership practices beyond the construction industry. “Leaders across sectors can leverage humor to build a supportive and innovative culture, driving team and organizational success.”
A Psychology Today article differentiates between positive humor and negative humor. It stresses the importance of using the right kind or positive humor to elicit positive outcomes such as increased employee performance, creativity, and job satisfaction. The article says leaders who use humor in the workplace are more effective than non-humorous leaders.
Positive humor takes two forms – affiliative humor, which involves a funny story, or some witty banner that focuses on shared experiences. (“Let’s see if we can’t break the record for the longest staff meeting in history.”) Self-enhancing humor targets oneself but is benevolent. For example, a leader saying, “You all know how my attention to detail is my worst fault.”
In contrast, hostile or aggressive humor is something that leaders must avoid because it produces the opposite result. Even when teasing can put a strain on the leader-employee relationship and can harm the team. In addition, self-defeating humor that focuses on one’s shortcomings should also be avoided.
The article provides some tips on the appropriate types of humor in the workplace:
- Keep it positive. Avoid negative and too much self-deprecating humor.
- Don’t try too hard – don’t try to become a comedian; create an environment where natural and spontaneous laughter can thrive.
- Encourage others to be funny. When employees initiate appropriate humor, they respond positively to reinforce light-hearted comments.
- Don’t judge. People use different kinds of humor but allow others to be themselves.
- Provide opportunities for laughter, whether telling a joke or sharing a humorous story.
Using humor in the workplace as a leadership tool is increasingly getting recognized and encouraged because of its benefits. However, humor is a double-edged sword.
While it can benefit the workplace, it can also harm people when hostile humor is used, like sarcasm, jocular abuse, putdown jokes, etc.
Hence, leaders need to be careful when using humor. It should always aim to create an optimistic environment that fosters trust and enhances productivity and creativity in the workplace.
Source:
Nestor, S. (2024, March 13). Why laughter is the best medicine for the construction sector’s future. Infrastructure. Retrieved from https://infrastructuremagazine.com.au/2024/03/13/why-laughter-is-the-best-medicine-for-the-construction-sectors-future/
Hard hats and humour: How laughter builds success in construction management. (2024, January 24). Bond University. Retrieved from https://bond.edu.au/news/hard-hats-and-humour-how-laughter-builds-success-construction-management
Riggio, R. (2023, December 17). How Humor Can Make Leaders More Effective. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/nz/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/202312/how-humor-can-make-leaders-more-effective
Wijewardena, N., Samaratunge, R., & Härtel, C. (2024, June 4). Mastering the art of humor in leadership: A toolkit for organizational leaders. Organizational Dynamics. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0090261624000470?dgcid=author
Leave a Reply