Resumen de Humor na academia e pesquisas sobre humor
Maria Jose Tonelli, Felipe Zambaldi
- español
We started the editorial of the previous edition—the first of the year—with a brief joke and were confronted by some colleagues as if we had committed heresy: “What is this in an editorial?” Well, perhaps it was not a good joke, but the question was great and calls for reflection. Does the academia necessarily need to be bland and colorless? Cannot humor be part of researchers’ lives? Do we need to be stern and monotonous? To me, this view seems to disregard studies that evidence the role of humor in increasing creativity, well-being, and health as well as producing better results in organizations (Mesmer-Magnus, Glew, & Viswesvaran, 2012). Humor is embedded in work processes (Korczynski, 2011) and is a fundamental element in the development of human relationships. Humor facilitates work (Rodrigues & Collinson, 1995), as the seminal article on humor in the area of organizational studies, written by the Brazilian researcher Suzana Braga Rodrigues, states. Humor is important for individuals, organizations, and the society (Duarte & Duarte, 2016). There is even a journal focused exclusively on humor: The European Journal of Humour Research. Reinforcing the positive role of this human trait for work, the articles by Romero and Cruthirds (2006), considering the international context, and Castro Silva and Brito (2014), considering the Brazilian context, show that humor has a positive impact on communication, group cohesion, and leadership. Humor is part of the organizational discourse (Koester, 2010) and workspace (Chefneux, 2015; Vivona, 2014). In summary, the role of humor in sociability at work seems to be fundamental for the proper functioning of organizations.
- English
We started the editorial of the previous edition—the first of the year—with a brief joke and were confronted by some colleagues as if we had committed heresy: “What is this in an editorial?” Well, perhaps it was not a good joke, but the question was great and calls for reflection. Does the academia necessarily need to be bland and colorless? Cannot humor be part of researchers’ lives? Do we need to be stern and monotonous? To me, this view seems to disregard studies that evidence the role of humor in increasing creativity, well-being, and health as well as producing better results in organizations (Mesmer-Magnus, Glew, & Viswesvaran, 2012). Humor is embedded in work processes (Korczynski, 2011) and is a fundamental element in the development of human relationships. Humor facilitates work (Rodrigues & Collinson, 1995), as the seminal article on humor in the area of organizational studies, written by the Brazilian researcher Suzana Braga Rodrigues, states. Humor is important for individuals, organizations, and the society (Duarte & Duarte, 2016). There is even a journal focused exclusively on humor: The European Journal of Humour Research. Reinforcing the positive role of this human trait for work, the articles by Romero and Cruthirds (2006), considering the international context, and Castro Silva and Brito (2014), considering the Brazilian context, show that humor has a positive impact on communication, group cohesion, and leadership. Humor is part of the organizational discourse (Koester, 2010) and workspace (Chefneux, 2015; Vivona, 2014). In summary, the role of humor in sociability at work seems to be fundamental for the proper functioning of organizations.
- português
Começamos o editorial da edição passada – o primeiro do ano – com uma breve brincadeira e fomos questionados por alguns colegas como se tivéssemos cometido alguma heresia: “O que é isso num editorial? ”. Bem, talvez não tenha sido uma boa piada, mas o questionamento foi ótimo e pede uma reflexão. Será que a academia precisa necessariamente ser inodora e incolor? Será que o humor não pode fazer parte da vida dos pesquisadores? Precisamos ser sisudos e sem graça? Bem, essa visão me parece desconsiderar as próprias pesquisas que mostram o benefício do humor para a criatividade, o bem-estar e a saúde e para melhores resultados nas organizações (Mesmer-Magnus, Glew, & Viswesvaran, 2012). O humor está embebido nos próprios processos de trabalho (Korczynski, 2011) e constitui um elemento fundamental na construção das relações humanas. O humor facilita o trabalho (Rodrigues & Collison, 1995), como nos informa o artigo seminal sobre o tema de humor na área de Estudos Organizacionais, escrito pela pesquisadora brasileira Suzana Braga Rodrigues. O humor tem importância para indivíduos, organizações e sociedade (Duarte & Duarte, 2016), e até existe um periódico voltado exclusivamente para pesquisas sobre humor: The European journal of humour research. Reforçando a positividade desse traço humano para o trabalho, os artigos de Romero e Cruthirds (2006) e, no contexto brasileiro, Castro Silva e Brito (2014) mostram que o humor tem impacto positivo na comunicação, na coesão grupal e na liderança. O humor faz parte do discurso organizacional (Koester, 2010) e do espaço do trabalho (Chefneux, 2015; Vivona, 2014). Em síntese, o papel do humor na convivência no trabalho parece ser fundamental para o bom funcionamento das organizações.
