Joking or mocking? Interpersonal justice, positive affect and knowledge behaviours in response to leader humour

Abstract

Purpose – Knowledge sharing (KS) and knowledge hiding (KH) are not merely prosocial or antisocial acts but strategic decisions regulating the flow of knowledge resources within organizations. While prior research shows that supervisor humour (SH) influences these behaviours, the justice-based mechanisms through which humour shapes knowledge regulation remain unexamined (Bavik et al., 2018; Mishra and Pandey, 2019). Addressing this gap, this study aims to investigate whether interpersonal justice (IJ) mediates the effects of SH on knowledge behaviours and introduces positive affect as a complementary affective lens for fairness appraisals. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on equity and deontic justice perspectives, we argue that humour activates fairness evaluations that evoke moral obligations to reciprocate or resist. From an affective events perspective, we further propose that positive affect creates an emotional context conducive to justice-based interpretations. Data were collected from 220 full-time employees in Indian firms using validated measures of SH, IJ, KS, KH and positive affect. Findings – Results indicate that IJ mediates the effects of humour on knowledge behaviours. It fully explains the link between affiliative humour and KS and offsets the paradoxical effect of affiliative humour on KH, while mediating the negative effect of aggressive humour on KS but not its positive association with KH. Positive affect did not moderate the humour–IJ link but exerted a consistent direct influence on IJ, suggesting it functions as an affective filter shaping fairness appraisals. Practical implications – Organizations should train supervisors to recognize how humour is ethically interpreted and cultivate positive emotional climates that support fairness-based knowledge exchange. Originality/value – This study advances humour and justice research by extending the joking–mocking distinction into the domain of knowledge regulation. By conceptualizing KS and KH as morally embedded knowledge decision processes rather than discretionary citizenship behaviours, it demonstrates how fairness perceptions determine whether humour fosters KS or is associated with knowledge concealment.