Jablin's Organizational Assimilation Theory and Humor: A Closer Look at the Ontological and Epistemological Issues of How Humor Can Be Used to Assimilate Into an Organization‪.‬

ABSTRACT When a new member is trying to gain acceptance into an organization that s/he is working for, it can be difficult as the organization is an unfamiliar place with new cultural practices, new faces, and an overall new environment. Similarly, when an organization is assimilating new members, it can be an awkward period of introducing cultural beliefs, norms, and values. New members can use the communicative phenomenon of humor as an effective strategy when trying to assimilate into an organization to help ease a possible uncomfortable situation. Moreover, organizational assimilation and humor can be used together in theory and practice because it can help a new member assimilate into an organization with less difficulty or help an organization assimilate its new members more effectively. In this article, I contribute to theoretical discussion by examining the process of organizational assimilation and its connection with humor through ontological and epistemological issues.