Abstract
Organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) signals employees’ perceptions of value, competence, and significance in the work organization. Self-regulatory mechanisms through which OBSE is associated with employees’ workplace outcomes remain insufficiently examined. This study, carried out in Sri Lanka, examined whether self-regulation plays a mediating role between OBSE and three important employee outcomes, namely, work performance, prosocial motivation, and intention to quit. Data were collected from 283 first-level supervisors employed in private-sector organizations using a survey questionnaire. The findings showed that OBSE is highly associated with improved work performance, stronger prosocial motivation, and lower turnover intentions. OBSE positively associates with positivity embracement, favorable construals, and self-affirming reflections while it negatively associates with defensiveness. Tests for mediation showed that positivity embracement and self-affirming reflections strengthen the positive association between OBSE and work performance, and favorable construals strengthen the association between OBSE and prosocial motivation. Defensiveness weakens the positive association of OBSE with work performance while it weakens the negative association of OBSE with intent to quit. Overall, the study underscores self-regulatory processes as mediators in explaining OBSE’s effects on employee outcomes.
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