How humour helps people manage conflict at work

What is it about?

This study explores how a positive form of humour, called affiliative humour, is related to the ways people manage interpersonal conflict at work. Affiliative humour refers to joking and light-hearted communication used to build relationships and reduce tension. Using survey data from 257 teachers working in public schools in Türkiye, the study examines three common conflict management styles: collaborating, compromising, and avoiding. The findings show that affiliative humour is positively associated with collaborative and compromising approaches, but not with avoidance. When these styles are examined together, compromising emerges as the only significant predictor of affiliative humour. The study also shows that the role of conflict management styles differs by gender. Overall, the research highlights humour as a social and relational tool rather than a trivial behaviour in organisational life.

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Photo by Dave Moreno on Unsplash

Photo by Dave Moreno on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Workplace conflict is common, but it is often discussed only in terms of stress, performance loss, or managerial control. This study shows that humour can play a constructive role in how people navigate conflict, especially when they seek middle ground rather than confrontation or withdrawal. By focusing specifically on affiliative humour, the study clarifies which conflict management styles are actually linked to positive humour use. The findings challenge the idea that humour can be easily produced or managed from the top down and suggest that humour works best as part of relational and cooperative interaction. This has practical implications for managers, educators, and organisations that aim to improve communication, collaboration, and workplace climate.

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