Self-esteem has been defined differentially in the literature, but the central component in all the definitions is that it refers to an individual’s general sense of self-worth or value in oneself. The concept of self-efficacy, on the other hand, has been defined as an individual’s belief in his or her capacity to succeed in specific situations, or an individual’s conviction that he or she can successfully execute the behavior required to generate desired outcomes (Judge, 2009).
In explaining the dynamics of how self-esteem affects self-efficacy, it is important to note that low sense of self-worth will incapacitate the ability of an employee to succeed in specific situations due to lack of a motivating force. It can be argued that the general sense of self-worth acts as the fulcrum upon which the employee can mold specific behaviors and motivations that can encourage or discourage the achievement of self-efficacy (Judge, 2009). In job-related contexts, mentoring and rewarding employees can help in enhancing their sense of self-worth, which in turn increases belief in their capacity to succeed by maintaining high performance and productivity levels (Baack, 2012).
A major dynamic in the self-esteem concept relates to employee growth need strength, which implies that employees with a high sense of self-worth will demonstrate high growth need strength within the organization. This relates to the concept of self-efficacy in terms of employees demonstrating the capacity to succeed through a high level of internal motivation, craving to avail high-quality work, as well as satisfaction with the job (Baack, 2012; Judge, 2009). As an example, organizational change is one of the internal forces that impact my self-efficacy as an administrative supervisor, especially in terms of exhibiting a negative perception that I may be unable to perform well in change contexts.
Communication and Team Building
Because norms are the rules governing behaviors in a team, it is of critical importance to identify them as they enhance team cohesiveness through ensuring that members share a common set of expectations about behaviors and contribution to the team (Baack, 2012). As postulated by this author, norms not only summarize group influence processes including the rule for recruitment and maintenance of membership but also avail important organizational functions when they clarify the team’s key values and convey a sense of identity.
The importance of clear and open communication during the initial team development phases cannot be understated, especially upon recognition of the fact that recognizing and defining good communication is often considered as the first step in developing a team. Clear communication is essential during team development as it provides an enabling framework for arising disputes to be handled quickly and constructively, cuts down on time lost to misinterpretation, facilitates team cohesiveness, instills confidence in members to provide the needed input, and facilitates understanding among members (McComb, Schroeder, Kennedy, & Vozdolska, 2012). It is important to underscore the fact that work teams can only achieve their set goals and objectives through clear and open communication.
Lastly, at a personal level, I was once in a team that had been created with the objective of identifying why the department/unit was experiencing low morale levels among the servicemen/marines. However, the team leader relied on the Internet to communicate with members, thereby effectively incapacitating any form of face-to-face communication among team members. The team failed to achieve its mandate due to the ineffective Internet-based communication technique.
References
Baack, D. (2012). Organizational Behavior. San Diego, CA: Brdgepoint Education.
Judge, T.A. (2009). Core self-evaluations and work success. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 18(1), 58-62.
McComb, S., Schroeder, A., Kennedy, D., & Vozdolska, R. (2012). The five Ws of team communication. Industrial Management, 54(5), 10-13.