Humour and Laughter in the Workplace: a discursive ethnographic study

Abstract

My study explores relationships between humour and dominant discourses, viewing humour as a key sensemaking device, by which organizational members seek to shape understandings and comprehend themselves and others. I examine how discourses are interpreted, maintained and modified through language, paying particular attention to relations of power. Humour and laughter contribute to the reproduction and transformation of discourses, acting as a resource that members draw on to construct and shape meanings and understandings. My thesis seeks to reposition humour away from the periphery of critical management studies and to construct it more centrally, by examining the interplay between humour, dominant discourses and identity construction. Power is exercised in humour through the subtlety of ironic eye contact, through an amusing anecdote, through the mutuality of an “inside” joke, through shared perspectives and through the associative force of shared laughter, a polyphonic form of agreement and an acknowledgement that others relate in-the-moment. Humour provides interpretations that enable dialogue and open up space for new meanings; a contact point that allows individuals to fashion identities in concert with others from wide ranging sources of influence and inspiration. My research epistemology recognises the interaction and exchange of perspectives from which organizational members subjectively constitute the discourses available to them and explores how dominant discourses are supported and modified through humour. I chose a qualitative methodological approach that focuses on the importance of language in shaping local realities. This required a hermeneutic approach to gathering materials; including participant observation and semi-structured interviews to facilitate interpretations based on the interaction and integration of theory and empirical data. My ethnographic account is based on an in-depth case study of the Park Slope Food Cooperative in Brooklyn New York. I have provided a reflexive account that highlights my own involvement and added vignettes that are intended to enrich my findings and further demonstrate my authorial positions and outlooks. I conclude by applying four different epistemologies to the same setting, demonstrating that my interpretations were fostered through an interrelated set of theoretical perspectives. This thesis provides a rich source of material to further our understanding of the ways in which relations of power are established and maintained within organizations. Humour both emphasises and disturbs relations of power and warrants consideration in any discussion of dominant discourses, mutual action and identity formation within organizations.

Date of Award	22 Apr 2015
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Andrew Brown (Supervisor) & Russ Vince (Supervisor)