Behavioral Plasticity Theory-Pierce 1993

' Academy of Management Joumai 1993. Vol. 36, No. 2. 271-288.

^MODERATION BY ORGANIZATION-BASED SELF-ESTEEM OF ROLE CONDITION-EMPLOYEE RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS
JON L. PIERCE University of Minnesota at Duluth DONALD G. GARDNER University of Colorado at Colorado Springs RANDALL B. DUNHAM University of Wisconsin at Madison LARRY L. CUMMINGS University of Minnesota at Minneapolis
Behavioral plasticity theory is offered as an explanation for the moderating effects of self-esteem on role perception-employee response relationships. According to this theory, hecause individuals with low self-esteem are more reactive than their counterparts with high selfesteem, they are more susceptible to adverse role conditions, such as role conflict, ambiguity, and overload, and a poor work environment and poor supervisory support. Moderated hierarchical regression analyses revealed significant moderating effects for organization-based selfesteem on role condition-response relationships, thereby providing support for predictions based on behavioral plasticity theory.

It has heen empirically demonstrated that role-related influences such as conflict, overload, and amhiguity can have an impact on the affective and hehavioral responses of organization memhers. Researchers have further argued that an individual's ahility, adaptahility, and self-esteem may influence those reactions. The purpose of the research reported here was to evaluate empirically the hypothesis that an employee's level of self-esteem affects the impact of role conditions on performance and satisfaction. The research is important in that it provides insight into the viahility of hehavioral plasticity theory (cf. Brockner, 1988) for predicting relationships hetween role conditions and employee responses. In addition, this investigation employed an organization-hased rather than a glohal self-esteem measure so the measure is framed within the same context as the affective and hehavioral responses under investigation.

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He received his Ph.D. degree in organizational behavior at the Krannert Graduate School of Management at Purdue University. His research interests include activation theory, measurement, attentional processes, and self within the organizational context. 288 Academy of Management /ournaJ April Randall B. Dunham earned his Ph.D. degree at the University of Illinois. He is a professor of management at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and the associate dean of academic affairs for its school of business. His current research interests include employee attitudes toward change, locus of control in the workplace, organizationbased self-esteem, work schedules, organizational commitment, and flexible benefits. Larry L. Cummings is the Carlson Professor of Management in the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota at Minneapolis. He received his Ph.D. degree at Indiana University. Some of his current scholarship centers on feedback generation, self-esteem in organizational settings, and psychological ownership.