The impact of transactional and transformational leadership on employees
Lead Research Organisation:
Durham University
Department Name: Business School
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
| Oliver Mallett (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Mallett O
(2012)
Informality and Employment Relationships in Small Firms: Humour, Ambiguity and Straight-talking
in British Journal of Management
Robert Wapshott (Author)
(2012)
The development of the employment relationship during business growth
Wapshott R
(2012)
The unspoken side of mutual adjustment: Understanding intersubjective negotiation in small professional service firms
in International Small Business Journal: Researching Entrepreneurship
| Description | This research found that leaders of small, growing firms often relied on humour as a means of preserving a degree of informality while introducing policies and practices designed to formalise the business as part of the drive towards business growth. However, when leaders deploy humour as a management tool, it can create new and otherwise avoidable problems. The research found that leaders' functional use of humour masked underlying problems rather than resolving them, or backfired altogether. The ambiguity created by these situations often went unresolved, festering to a point where sterner, direct attention became necessary. The findings suggest the need to resist the functional use of humour and that straight-talking is the ideal practice when leaders need to achieve specific goals, negotiate or give instructions. This is especially important where leaders' and employees' interests or behaviours are in conflict and need to be clearly addressed. Informality requires boundaries, especially when negotiating the changes to working practices and relationships brought about by business growth. Informality, for example in the form of humour, has a role to play in businesses of all sizes, but its limits must be recognised and respected. |
| Exploitation Route | Through a greater appreciation of the limitations of humour as a management tool for leaders, specially of small firms. In relation to this, the need to engage in clear, explicit forms of negotiation ("straight talking") with employees. In the work published so far (academic and non-academic) this has been related to the challenges of business growth and formalisation. |
| Sectors | Other |
| Description | No impact outside academia at present |
| Description | Don't let humour get in the way of business growth |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A blog written for an entreprneurship website discussing humour, leadership and business growth None |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| URL | http://realbusiness.co.uk/article/14631-dont-let-humour-get-in-the-way-of-business-growth |
| Description | Ill-judged humour may create friction at work |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | An article in FT Adviser based on the research None |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://www.ftadviser.com/2013/02/07/ifa-industry/your-business/ill-judged-humour-may-create-friction... |
| Description | No, you're not having a laugh |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | An interview about the research used in a feature article in the Sunday Times None |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| URL | http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/public/Appointments/article1080755.ece |
| Description | When does management humour stop being funny? |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A blog on a popular HR website outlining insights into the (mis)uses of humour in leadership relationships. None |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |
| URL | http://www.hrzone.co.uk/topic/managing-people/when-does-management-humour-stop-being-funny/138840 |
| Description | You can be serious: humour in the call centre |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A blog based on the research into the role of humour in leadership for an industry website None |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| URL | http://www.callcentre.co.uk/you-can-be-serious-humour-in-the-call-centre-2/ |