This paper presents the results of an empirical study designed to test three hypotheses concerning the type of humor initiated by faculty in their interpersonal communication: (1) the organizational type of person is associated with the type of humor he initiates; (2) cosmopolitans tend to initiate abrasive humor more often than lubricant humor; and (3) locals tend to initiate lubricant humor more often than abrasive humor. The data were collected at the University of Wisconsin (Milwaukee) by personal interviews with a random sample of 70 faculty members from nine randomly selected academic departments of the College of Letters and Science. All three hypotheses were supported by the data. The paper concludes with a discussion of practical implications of the research findings for organizational communication and effectiveness, limitations of the present study, and some directions for further research. (Author/RB)