Development and validation of the Japanese version of organization-based self-esteem scale

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to validate a Japanese version of the organization-based self-esteem (OBSE) scale, a positive self-concept that has been proven to play an important role in predicting employees' work attitudes and behaviors primarily in a Western organizational setting. Methods: Two independent field studies, Study One and Study Two, involving 1,562 Japanese employees from a variety of organizations were conducted by employing a web-based questionnaire. Results: In Study One, initial evidence for the factorial validity of an eight-item, single factor scale, with high internal consistency (0.93 and 0.88 for Sample 1 and Sample 2, respectively) and test-retest reliability (r=0.84) was provided. In Study Two, the eight-factor structure was replicated and multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) demonstrated measurement invariance across two samples. In addition, a series of CFA demonstrated that the Japanese OBSE is a distinct construct from global self-esteem, job complexity and work engagement. Furthermore, the nomological validity evidence was demonstrated through structural equation modeling. Conclusions: The Japanese OBSE scale is presented as a psychometrically sound measure that can contribute to furthering substantive OBSE research.