The role of laughter in companies

• Élisabeth BOURGUINAT
  PhD
  
• Aurélien LORGNIER
  Author and actor in company theatre
  

Summary

People laugh a lot in companies when all is not going well. Laughter fulfils various functions : power games and games of influence, readjustment to unbalanced interactions between people, compensation for things not working properly, and so on. Based on an in-depth field study, plays in company theatre show up organisational faults/weaknesses. Even though it may not be a real management tool, laughter may therefore appear to be at least an excellent communication tool.

Summary translated from French by Rachel MARLIN.

• The entire article was written by Élisabeth BOURGUINAT.

To obtain this article, you can :

• download it for free in French (PDF help) or contact ecopar@paris.ensmp.fr (Reference VA040797).

The entire article appears in French in the Journal de l'École de Paris du management N° 8.