Building upon the notion that self-esteem is a hierarchical and multifaceted phenomenon,
and Coopersmith’s (1967) observation that self-esteem indicates the extent to which the
individual believes him/herself to be capable, significant, and worthy, Pierce, Gardner,
Cummings and Dunham (1989) introduced the concept of organization-based self-esteem.
Organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) is defined as the degree to which an individual
believes him/herself to be capable, significant, and worthy as an organizational member.