Risky Business: Humour, Hierarchy, and Harmony in New Zealand and South Korean Workplaces

This chapter illustrates some of the complexities of workplace humour through comparing two different cultural contexts. Our ethnographic research approach across two separate studies has garnered nuanced humour examples from New Zealand (Western) and South Korean (Eastern) workplaces. In particular, we analyse humour observations where the humour provides insights to contrasting cultural assumptions related to hierarchical organisational relationships. Although the use of humour seems to serve some similar roles in both New Zealand and South Korean organisations, our analysis suggests that harmony is maintained differently depending on the organisational context. We argue that hierarchy has a significant impact on humour interactions and defines who can, or cannot, be funny at work.