Distinction between Team-Based Self-Esteem and Company-Based Self-Esteem in the Construction Industry

Abstract

Organization-based self-esteem has been a key construct in organizational management research since it was proposed in 1989. However, this paper proposes that organization-based self-esteem should be further refined as team-based self-esteem and company-based self-esteem, particularly in the construction industry. The construct of team-based self-esteem is defined and distinguished from company-based self-esteem. On the basis of survey data and results of exploratory, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling, the convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity of team-based self-esteem and company-based self-esteem is tested and verified. The results show that team-based self-esteem is more salient than company-based self-esteem and has better predictive power in the construction project team context. The significant implication is that research of self-esteem in the construction industry should measure self-esteem depending on the research context, for example, team-based instead of company-based self-esteem, in project management research.