Examination of the relationships among general and work-specific self-evaluations, work-related control beliefs, and job attitudes

The authors delineated and tested the relationships among individual differences (general and work-specific self-evaluations), contextual variables (work-related control beliefs), and three job attitudes (job satisfaction, organisational commitment, and job involvement). Results from a study of 159 healthcare employees found that work-specific self-evaluations, particularly organisation-based self-esteem, strongly predicted job attitudes. Moreover, work-specific self-evaluations helped explain why and how general self-evaluations and work-related control beliefs relate to job attitudes. Finally, the correlations between general self-evaluations and organisation-based self-esteem were moderated by work-related control beliefs. Contributions to organisational theory and practice, as well as suggestions for future research are discussed.