Self-esteem And Self-concept In Organizational Behavior Essay Example

she work for. Strong organizational-based self-esteem allows a person or an employee to have a sense of having satisfied his or her needs through his or her organizational roles.

As a new employee in an organization, the organizational-based self-esteem is somehow low. However as the tenure lasts, so does the self-esteem strengthens. Therefore, self–esteem is shaped by work and organizational experiences. It influences work-related motivation, attitudes, and behavior. Organizational-based self-esteem is directly reflected in the performance of an employee (Mongelluzzo & Sherfield, 2012). An employee with a high self-esteem records higher level of performance compared to their counterparts with low self-esteem. Individuals with high self-esteem are likely to have a high degree of self-efficacy that contributes to higher levels of performance.

High self-esteemed employees are less influenced by the quality of their relationship with their supervisor thus; they do not actively engage in feedback seeking behavior thus allows them to give their best. On the other hand, employees with low-esteem tend to seek approval and self-affirmation such that they take advantage of the development they receive from their supervisors. Besides, organizational-based self-esteem directly affects the two organizational citizenship behaviors of altruism and compliance that contribute to higher levels of performance in the ratings of an employee (Yang, 2012). Mentors who have a strong organizational-based self-esteem are confident in their organizational roles. Employees with high self-esteem are motivated to engage in mentorship programs so that they can demonstrate their organizational competence.

Work related experiences play a very crucial role in defining the relationship of an employee with the organization. An increase in job complexity that calls for team-based systems boosts the employees’ self-esteem (Carlock, 2013). Besides, it increases job

satisfaction and team commitment. The remuneration levels communicate to the employees how much the organization values them. In turn, the remuneration level boosts the organizational-based self-esteem thus motivating the employees to adopt the behavior that is inconsistent with the growth of the organization.

Self-Concept at Workplace

Self-concept is the image one has of himself or herself. It is a person’s perception towards himself or herself, which is formed through his experiences in an environment. The people living around you play a paramount role in molding your self-concept. People describe you regarding a variety of personality traits and with time, you learn to accept the descriptions as a real representative of you. Self-concept does not reflect on the present self alone it reflects the future self and the past self. Future self or possible self is that self that an individual hopes he will become (Hartung & Subich 2011). They act as incentives for future behavior and provide critical context for the present self. Self-concept has four components that include physical, academic, transpersonal, and social. Physical self-concept relates to what is concrete such as what we look like and the kind of car we drive. Academic self-concept relates to how good we are in school while transpersonal self-concept refers to how we relate to the unknown. Social self-concept refers to how well we relate to the others in the society.

Self-concept is a source of motivated behavior. Our work and the organization we work for comprise a significant domain in our lives. It tries to answer the question of who we are thus forming part of our overall self-concept. Such self-concept developed around the working place is known as

workplace self-concept. An employee may develop a negative or a positive depending on what other team members in the organization say of him or her. Self-concept depends on how his or her colleagues treat him and how he or she views such treatment. Negative self-concept may limit what one is willing to do such letting go of some opportunities that would have fostered growth and enjoyment (Hartung & Subich 2011). It may lead to hopelessness, anxiety, and frustrations that may suppress one to committing suicide. Therefore, it is important for managers to encourage the development of positive self-concept.

Self-concepts represent knowledge structures that comprise of beliefs about oneself such as personal attribute, goals, and social roles. Individuals have three self-concepts namely individual, relational, and collective. Individual self-concept reflects on employee's abilities and weaknesses. They can be weakened or strengthened by comparing an employee's strengths and weaknesses to other colleagues’. Relational self-concept refers to the employees judging themselves bas4ed on the relationships. If one assumes that, the relationships are perfect, he or she develops a positive self-concept. Finally, collective self-concept refers to the membership in the workplace. An employee describes himself regarding his condition with the group (Belbin 2010). Positive workplace self-concepts have positive effects on an organization. They cover the major part of the domain on employee's work organizational experiences. Employees can perform well if they are given tasks that will contribute to positive self-concept. Both managers and employees beliefs contribute to high productivity and growth of the company in which they work (Clay & Olitt 2012).

Conclusion

Conclusively, self-esteem and self-concept play a great role in the productivity of the employees, their motivation, and relationships with the

organization. Strong organizational-based self-esteem has a positive effect on the performance of employees, their productivity, and positive relationship with the organization. Besides, it is important to reinforce positive workplace self-concept among the employees.

References

1. Belbin, R. M. (2010). Team roles at work. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.
2. Carlock, C. J. (2013). Enhancing Self Esteem. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.
3. Clay, C., & Olitt, R. (2012). Peer power: Transforming workplace relationships. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, a Wiley Imprint.
4. Hartung, P. J., & Subich, L. M. (2011). Developing self in work and career: Concepts, cases, and contexts.
5. Mongelluzzo, N. B., & Sherfield, R. M. (2012). The everything guide to self-esteem: Build your confidence, set goals that work, and learn to love yourself.
6. Yang, J. (2012). Workplace ostracism and performance related outcomes?: A process model incorporating social influence and social identity theories.