Leader failed humor and follower advice seeking

PurposeDrawing on benign violation theory (BVT), this paper aimed to investigate the underlining mechanism and boundary condition of the relationship between follower perception of leader failed humor and follower advice seeking.Design/methodology/approachA three-wave survey with 256 leader-follower dyads and an online experiment with 117 participants were conducted to test the hypotheses.FindingsThe results showed that leader failed humor decreased follower liking toward leader and subsequently reduced follower advice seeking. Moreover, this negative relationship was exacerbated when leader and follower had infrequent interaction.Originality/valueExisting research has encouraged leaders to use humor to build and maintain successful interpersonal relationships. However, the situation that a leader may fail when attempting to present humor is neglected. This study advances the concept of leader failed humor and explores its subsequent consequences.