A1 Journal article (refereed)
Negotiating leader identities through indirect mockery in talk about decision-making in a distributed leadership context (2024)

Salomaa, E., Van De Mieroop, D., & Lehtinen, E. (2024). Negotiating leader identities through indirect mockery in talk about decision-making in a distributed leadership context. Language and Dialogue, 14(1), 122-151. https://doi.org/10.1075/ld.00162.sal

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Salomaa, Elina; Van De Mieroop, Dorien; Lehtinen, Esa

Journal or series: Language and Dialogue

ISSN: 2210-4119

eISSN: 2210-4127

Publication year: 2024

Publication date: 18/12/2023

Volume: 14

Issue number: 1

Pages range: 122-151

Publisher: John Benjamins Publishing Company

Publication country: Netherlands

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1075/ld.00162.sal

Publication open access: Not open

Publication channel open access: 

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/92677

Abstract

In this article, we scrutinise how humour, and in particular, indirect mockery contributes to the construction of leader identities in talk about decision-making in an organisation characterized by a distributed leadership context. So rather than focusing on decision-making episodes themselves, we tease out an aspect of the goal achievement side of the leadership influence process. Through multimodal discourse analysis, we focus on episodes in which the implementation side of decisions is discussed and in which the head of the team initiates a humorous sequence, as this turned out to be an integral part of talk about decision-making. We found that the humour was always oriented towards upper management and that it could serve various functions. Overall, we argue that indirect mockery was a crucial means to navigate the tension that emerges from the team head’s position within the complex leadership constellation, thus offering a critical perspective on distributed leadership.

Keywords: leadership (properties); leadership (activity); organisations (systems); humour; laughter; multimodality; discourse analysis

Free keywords: laughter; multimodal discourse analysis; humour; discursive leadership; indirect mockery; distributed leadership; meetings

Contributing organizations

Related projects

Ministry reporting: Yes

VIRTA submission year: 2023

JUFO rating: 1