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A Laughing Matter: Patterns of Laughter and the Effectiveness of Working Dyads

Author

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  • Lu Wang

    (School of Management, UNSW Business School, University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia)

  • Lorna Doucet

    (School of Management, Fudan University, Yangpu, 200433 Shanghai, China)

  • Mary Waller

    (Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1PS, Canada)

  • Karin Sanders

    (School of Management, UNSW Business School, University of New South Wales, Sydney NSW 2052, Australia)

  • Sybil Phillips

    (Institute of Aviation, Parkland College, Savoy, Illinois 61874)

Abstract

Poor communication in teams has been found to result in disappointing team performance. Integrating research on team communication and laughter, we tested hypotheses about the relationship between working dyads’ patterns of laughter and their open communication and effectiveness. We examined two patterns of laughter: shared laughter occurs when both individuals laugh frequently in a dyad, and unshared laughter occurs when one individual in a dyad laughs frequently, but the other does not. Using data collected from 93 flight simulations in two aviation courses, we found that dyads engage in more open communication and are more effective when one member laughs frequently, but the other member does not. In addition, we found that the agreeableness of a dyad member reduces team effectiveness by increasing the likelihood of shared laughter. These results highlight the important role of laughter in team interactions and expand the growing literature on the role of emotions in teams.

Suggested Citation

  • Lu Wang & Lorna Doucet & Mary Waller & Karin Sanders & Sybil Phillips, 2016. "A Laughing Matter: Patterns of Laughter and the Effectiveness of Working Dyads," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 27(5), pages 1142-1160, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ororsc:v:27:y:2016:i:5:p:1142-1160
    DOI: 10.1287/orsc.2016.1082
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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