Mountains Out of Molehills? Tests of the Mediating Effects of Self-Esteem in Predicting Workplace Complaining1

Abstract

This study explores the possibility that the effects of various work‐related antecedents on complaining behavior are transmitted through the beliefs that employees hold about themselves. Data obtained from 317 schoolteachers and their principals provide strong support for the proposition that organization‐based self‐esteem (OBSE) is an intervening mechanism between the antecedents of job satisfaction, affective commitment, procedural justice, distributive justice, and leader‐member exchange quality and workplace complaining. The relationships that emerged were fully mediated, suggesting that OBSE is a central feature in how employees think, feel, and interact with others in the workplace. Avenues for future research and study limitations are discussed.

Organisational-based self-esteem: A within country comparison of outcomes between Māori and New Zealand Europeans

“…Affectivity is not a continuum: people can have degrees of both positive and negative affectivity (Price, 1997), and thus they are distinct variables (Warr, Barter, & Brownbridge, 1983). have noted that although studies Organisational-based self-esteem which look at both OBSE and affectivity are sparse, there is evidence that they are related (Lee, 2003;Heck, Bedeian, & Day, 2005). We follow suggestion that OBSE will influence dispositional states such as affectivity.…”

Leadership, OCB and individual differences: Idiocentrism and allocentrism as moderators of the relationship between transformational and transactional leadership and OCB

“…The results concerning altruism are not surprising, taking into account that this dimension has been identified as the primary example of OCB and is one of the commonly studied dimensions of this construct (Ehrhart, 2004). With respect to sportsmanship, the willingness to tolerate the inevitable inconveniences and impositions related to one’s work is considered an important OCB dimension in the school context (Heck, Bedeian & Day, 2005). This dimension may be especially important among Israeli teachers (Somech & Ron, 2007).…”

Influence of passion on innovative behavior: An empirical examination in Peoples Republic of China

“…In other words, OBSE is the embodiment of harmonious passion. It makes employees believe in what they are doing, which is important for realizing their dreams and achieving success against all odds (Heck et al, 2005).…”

“…Overall then, these conflicting thoughts and negative emotions prevent the employees from becoming fully absorbed with their job tasks. Furthermore, the rigid persistence that characterizes obsessive passion has been found to lead to burnout, emotional exhaustion and resulting in a diminished organization-based self-esteem" (Heck et al, 2005;Pierce and Gardner, 2004), which in turn impair one's attention and focus on the job.…”