Self-efficacy intervention, job attitudes, and turnover: A field experiment with employees in role transition

Abstract

Based on self-efficacy theory, this field experiment provides a test of the effectiveness of a non-fictitious self-efficacy intervention on bolstering professionals' job attitudes (i.e. job satisfaction, commitment, and intention to quit) and reducing turnover. Seventy-one newcomer and recent insider financial accounting auditors were randomly assigned to treatment and control conditions. Results showed that the self-efficacy intervention consisting of an interview and subsequent written communications from firm management augmented auditors' self-efficacy and raised the job attitudes of insiders, and reduced insiders' turnover five months later. Organizations and organizational research often focus on newcomers; however, the results of our experiment suggest that recent insiders may be a high-potential and yet underutilized target for job attitude and retention interventions.