‘Ebullient leadership’ can lift your workers out of the doldrums and increase productivity
- Written by Saima Ahmad, Senior lecturer, Business Administration, RMIT University
Social lunches, office trivia, even the odd dress-up day might sound like time-wasting at work. But our research, suggests promoting relaxed interactions in the office can make employees more committed and productive.
A major report released this year found stagnant employee engagement and declining wellbeing were crucial issues facing modern workplaces. It found dissatisfaction rose during the pandemic, resulting in lower productivity. This cost global GDP an estimated annual loss of A$13.4 trillion.
Our research reveals how “ebullient leaders” are adept at fostering curiosity and knowledge-sharing — two crucial components of innovation and engagement.
What’s an ebullient leader?
According to pioneering research led by management academic Robert C Ford an ebullient leader is someone who
through words and deeds helps create a work environment that is considered by a subordinate as a fun place to work.
Unlike other styles of leadership, ebullient leadership is not just about being authentic, transformational or charismatic. It’s about actively creating a positive work environment that is engaging, fun and playful.
Ebullient leaders create an atmosphere where employees feel excited to come to work. Their leadership style can transform a routine workday into a stimulating experience.
Our study sought to understand how curiosity and ebullient leadership influence knowledge-sharing in the workplace. To achieve this, we conducted a two-phase survey with 349 IT workers. In the first phase, we measured participants’ curiosity and perceptions of their managers’ cheerfulness and playfulness.
In the second phase, we assessed their engagement in informal learning and knowledge-sharing. We then used statistical methods to analyse how curiosity and ebullient leadership interact to foster knowledge sharing.
We found curious employees are more likely to engage in informal learning, which, in turn, drives knowledge sharing. However, this relationship was stronger when employees were guided by ebullient leaders.
Fun environments can help turn around disengaged employees and lead to improved productivity and collaboration.
So what do ebullient leaders actually do?
Ebullient leaders organise lighthearted activities, such as quick games, humorous exchanges, trivia breaks, social lunches and even dress-up days. These change-of-pace activities during work hours help rejuvenate employees.
A vast body of research on fun at work shows it improves job satisfaction and morale, and reduces absenteeism and burnout.
This is significant, given 48% of Australian employees report feeling stressed and burnt out.
It is as important as fostering humour at work, which promotes positivity and helps employees recharge and engage.
Multinational technology company Google is one of the best-known examples of a business that has cultivated a fun culture. Perks include access to nap pods, unlimited gourmet food and onsite massages. There is no dress code, and work hours are flexible.
Traditional leadership
Traditional leadership styles tend to prioritise achieving results and meeting deadlines, often at the expense of employee wellbeing.
Highly efficient leaders might believe more people-focused activities will slow them down and ultimately stop them being successful. However, an intense focus on efficiency makes these leaders less effective overall.
It is essential to strike a balance between achieving goals and creating an environment where employees are comfortable taking risks and sharing ideas. This allows creativity and innovation to flourish.
Adopting an ebullient leadership style
While ebullient leadership may seem like an innate talent, it can also be learned and developed. Here are some tips for adopting this style
Build enjoyable moments into the workday: be creative in organising social events, competitions or themed parties at work. Do not force fun but allow it to emerge naturally.
Demonstrate emotional intelligence: manage your own and others’ emotions, show optimism and enthusiasm, even in challenging times. Create a workplace where employees feel free to open up, show their emotions and try new things.
Balance work and play: avoid overloading employees with too many fun activities as they can disrupt goal achievement. Choose activities that help them engage and support their work goals.
Be mindful of employees’ preferences: not every employee wants their workplace to be fun. Some may prefer work to be serious. Be mindful and respectful of employees’ preferences and organise fun accordingly.
Lead by example: demonstrate and champion playfulness, curiosity and liveliness, the behaviours you expect from your employees.
Leaders can inspire positivity and embrace a balanced, human-centered approach to management by showing emotional intelligence and providing moments of joy during work hours. This can empower workers.
Ebullient leadership is more than a feel-good concept. Given the current challenges of high burnout and disengagement rates, it can help organisations lift overall performance through improved knowledge sharing.
Authors: Saima Ahmad, Senior lecturer, Business Administration, RMIT University
