Essay on Self Esteem

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Reflection: - The article according to me emphasis on the fact that worker disagree expression is a pointer of turnover goal. In particular, the outcomes demonstrates that representative productive upward difference and addressing upward dissent clarifies the change in turnover goal.. The results infer that workers who express their useful criticism to administrative groups of onlookers will probably stay in the association. In my previous organization I have seen instances in which people working in the R&D department whose feedback about possible improvement in workplace environment chose to stay in the organization as they believe their presence is valued and this satisfies their need of self respect .According to me latent dissent is related to lower employee satisfaction, organizational commitment and identification. During my stint in my previous organization I have seen instances in which people who are not able to voice their dissent spread it quickly amongst their peers and colleagues which leads to overall bad image about the organization and hence affects turn over intention. “Organization-based self-confidence (OBSC) moderates the relationship between constructive upward dissent and intention to quit”3- I completely agree with this statement as Employees with high use a constructive upward dissent strategy with the aim of correcting inefficiencies or providing improvements in their organizations and this moderates their turn over intentions. Relating this to my experience with supervisors and line in charge of production in my previous organization, whenever a supervisor voiced dissent relating to any practice or shop related activities it was treated as a form of Kaizen- Continuous improvement and the concerned person was awarded by the management. This not only reduces turn over intention but also create a good image about the management which will be viewed as the one which respects its employees and enhances their OBSE. I would conclude by saying that the role OBSE plays is far more important than just enhancing work performance it plays a role in creating a good image about the organization in front of its employees and may be used for Employee branding process- as an organization that listens to its people, addresses their concern and at the same time able to improve overall organizational performance. I feel it will also help HR managers to check attrition occurring at an alarming rate in manufacturing industries as an example.

4. Self-Esteem, Self-Affirmation, and Schadenfreude

Wilco W. van Dijk, Leiden University, Guido M. van Koningsbruggen, Utrecht University

Jaap W. Ouwerkerk and Yoka M. Wesseling, VU University Amsterdam

This paper throws light on how Schadenfreude which means pleasure at the misfortune of others increases when people’s motivation to self-protect or self-enhance becomes greater, whereas it decreases when this motivation diminishes. Relationships between self-esteem, self affirmation, and Schadenfreude is thoroughly investigated taking high and low esteem individuals and assessing their level of Schadenfreude in context of presence and absence of self affirmation opportunity.

Reflection:- This article clearly depicts the scenario of a corporate workplace. Taking the example of my previous organization I would relate that whenever performance appraisal process occurred at the end of the financial year, grades were distributed and some employees were promoted. In the process following the bell curve approach the grades were more or less averaged out to accommodate the entire department employees. Some employees were on fast track (previously high achiever) but failed to get good grades in the current financial year (misfortune case) and there were some who had not received good ratings in both the previous and the current financial year (people on low self esteem). These employees used to console themselves day long about their rating at the cost of the high achievers (Schadenfreude). When these employees were offered new challenging projects as a part of KRA process setting for the upcoming year they became happy and self enhanced their self esteem and self worth (opportunity of self affirmation). They got motivated and concentrated more on their work trying to enhance their performance rather than thinking about the average rating of high performers (lower Schadenfreude). It is clear that self affirmation opportunity to lower self esteem employees is of utmost importance as it not only reduces their Schadenfreude but also opens up a window for them to enhance their work performance & success criteria. Further I feel managers at workplace must take this responsibility, of providing self affirmation opportunity to employees, seriously as it concerns the overall organizational performance and social environment within. The less the Schadenfreude amongst the employees the more they feel coherent and the more they contribute as a team to deliver results. One major take away is the importance Self esteem plays in this matter. It is only because the employees had previously lower rating, did they exhibit higher Schadenfreude. The performance management system should be tailored in manner not to create space for low self esteem to develop within the workplace. Eliminating it at first hand would be a wise decision. I believe managers at workplace should quickly realize the same and come up with projects which are content based and challenging for all not just high performers as it will give a common platform to all for evaluation. High self esteemed individuals will themselves root out any negative sentiments at workplace without any managerial intervention.

5. Exploring the When and Why of Schadenfreude

Richard H. Smith, Caitlin A. J. Powell, David J. Y. Combs and

David Ryan Schurtz, University of Kentucky

This article discusses three different conditions in which Schadenfreude occurs in individuals besides the commonly occurrence in which low self esteem individuals experience it at the failure of high achievers. One condition is Schadenfreude occurring amongst members of a closely knit group at the misfortune of an out-group and the second condition is when Schadenfreude occurs in response to misfortunes of hypocrites which is perceived as highly deserved by the individual who experiences it. Third case is when Schadenfreude occurs as a response to misfortune befalling on an envied person.

Reflection:-

I can relate Schadenfreude occurring in a closely knit group to that of a bunch of football fans in a field. The football