SELF‐ESTEEM, INTERNAL‐CONTROL AND EXPECTANCY BELIEFS OF WHITE AND BLACK MANAGERS IN SOUTH AFRICA

T he relationship between internal‐control, self‐esteem and self‐respect measures of the effort‐performance and performance‐outcome beliefs – the two major beliefs of the expectancy model of work motivation – were examined in a sample of forty‐two white and thirty‐eight black managers in South Africa. The correlations between self‐esteem and the effort‐performance belief and between internal‐control and the performance‐outcome belief were both significant in the white group but not in the black group. The white managers were significantly more internally oriented and had significantly higher levels of self‐esteem than the black mangers. The white‐black differences are explained in terms of features of the current socio‐political systems in South Africa. The fact that in both groups the two beliefs correlated significantly together and equally with the self‐esteem and internal‐control suggests that the two beliefs may not be as independent as is implied by expectancy theory.