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An empirical analysis of the effects of humor on communication satisfaction and job performance in international joint ventures in Iran

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2016

Mohammad Jalalkamali ,
Mohammad Iranmanesh ,
Davoud Nikbin  and
Sunghyup Sean Hyun
Mohammad Jalalkamali
Affiliation:
Department of Management, Kerman Branch, Islamic Azad Univeristy, Kerman, Iran
Mohammad Iranmanesh
Affiliation:
Faculty of Business and Accountancy, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Davoud Nikbin
Affiliation:
Faculty of Business, Multimedia University, Melaka, Malaysia
Sunghyup Sean Hyun*
Affiliation:
School of Tourism, Hanyang University, Seongdonggu Seoul, Republic of Korea
*
Corresponding author: sshyun@hanyang.ac.kr
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Abstract

This study investigates the relationships between humor (frequency and effectiveness), communication satisfaction (informational and relational), and employee job performance (task and contextual) in international joint ventures in Iran. Based on a survey of 375 employees and their supervisors in two of the biggest joint ventures in the automotive industry in Iran, the results indicate that the frequency of humor had significant positive effects on contextual and task performance as well as on informational and relational communication satisfaction. In addition, informational communication satisfaction was significantly related to both contextual performance and task performance, whereas relational communication satisfaction was related only to task performance. Finally, informational communication satisfaction mediated the relationship between the frequency of humor and job performance (task and contextual), while relational communication satisfaction mediated the relationship between the frequency of humor and task performance.

Keywords

job performancecommunication satisfactionhumorjoint ventureIran
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 24 , Issue 2 , March 2018 , pp. 295 - 311
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2016 

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