Mediating effect of self-esteem on the career self-management and career resilience of early-career staff in the business management field

Abstract

Companies striving to retain their competitive edge in a highly turbulent business environment are redirecting their performance and career management systems to develop and retain their talent pipeline. The study examines the mediating effect of general self-esteem on the link between the career self-management and career resilience of a non-probability sample of 304 early-career employees in the business management field. A cross-sectional quantitative survey design was followed, collecting primary data. Data analyses consisted of an analysis of correlations and a simple mediation model. The results revealed significant direct and indirect effects between the variables. General self-esteem partially mediated the relationship between career self-management and career resilience. These fi ndings contribute new knowledge that informs organisational performance and career management practices for the retention of talented staff members.