Occupational Self-efficacy Research Articles

Who gains the most from improving working conditions? Health-related absenteeism and presenteeism due to stress at work

Work stress-related productivity losses represent a substantial economic burden. In this study, we estimate the effects of social and task-related stressors and resources at work on health-related productivity losses caused by absenteeism and presenteeism. We also explore the interaction effects between job stressors, job resources and personal resources and estimate the costs of work stress. Work stress is defined as exposure to an unfavorable combination of high job stressors and low job resources. The study is based on a repeated survey assessing work productivity and workplace characteristics among Swiss employees. We use a representative cross-sectional data set and a longitudinal data set and apply both OLS and fixed effects models. We find that an increase in task-related and social job stressors increases health-related productivity losses, whereas an increase in social job resources and personal resources (measured by occupational self-efficacy) reduces these losses. Moreover, we find that job stressors have a stronger effect on health-related productivity losses for employees lacking personal and job resources, and that employees with high levels of job stressors and low personal resources will profit the most from an increase in job resources. Productivity losses due to absenteeism and presenteeism attributable to work stress are estimated at 195 Swiss francs per person and month. Our study has implications for interventions aiming to reduce health absenteeism and presenteeism.

Transformational Leadership and Occupational Self-Efficacy in Software Product Line Institutionalization

A software product line is a new development methodology for the specific needs and a prescribed way. The whole institutionalization of new development methodology involves a transformational leadership and individual self-efficacy to acquire new knowledge and to effectively initiate, launch, and manage SPLs. For this study data was collected from 352 employees in Korean companies through a survey method and uses SPSS 18.0 for hierarchical regression analysis. The results show that charisma, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration increase their occupational self-efficacy affecting the software product line performance of software developers positively in turn. This is the first study to show leadership type and clearly identify how this leadership type influences software product line performance through self-efficacy. The propositions that this study presents provide conceptual insights for managers who seek to leadership type which increases software product line performance.

Comparison of Chinese male and female police cadets’ perceived occupational self-efficacy

ABSTRACT This study compared Chinese male and female police cadets’ perceived occupational self-efficacy in the following domains of police responsibility: making arrests, overall police duties, report filing, using police equipment, interaction with the public/colleagues, solving problems, living with police expectations, having the required physical and emotional strength to complete police work. Data were analysed based on surveys conducted with 1023 cadets (151 females and 872 males) in a police college located in a Southeastern province of China. It was found that male cadets were significantly more self-efficacious than their female counterparts in the areas of making arrests, filing reports, and using police equipment. Moreover, male cadets were also significantly more confident that they were physically and mentally capable of doing police work. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed that among the different aspects of self-efficacy, the differences in making arrests and having physical strength were the greatest between male and female cadets. Training program for female cadets should be targeted toward improvement in policing skills and mental resilience to increase their confidence in their ability to successfully execute the police role. Future studies can continue exploring how perceived self-efficacy of police changes over time and whether deployment practices and perceived treatment affect male and female cadets’ self-efficacy.

Qualitative Job Insecurity and Informal Learning: A Longitudinal Test of Occupational Self-Efficacy and Psychological Contract Breach as Mediators.

Current work life has become increasingly turbulent, which has sparked employees’ concern about the loss of valued job features, coined as qualitative job insecurity. No prior research has investigated the relationship between this type of job insecurity and informal learning. However, informal learning might be particularly relevant for qualitatively job-insecure employees, as it might aid them to deal with the incessant changes in their work environment. This study examined whether qualitative job insecurity is associated with lower levels of three types of informal learning activities: information-seeking, feedback-seeking, and help-seeking behavior, and whether these relationships are mediated by a decline in occupational self-efficacy and an increase in psychological contract breach. We employed a three-wave panel design to survey 1433 Belgian employees. Results, by means of cross-lagged structural equation modelling, demonstrated that occupational self-efficacy mediates the relationship between qualitative job insecurity and information-seeking, feedback-seeking from colleagues, and feedback-seeking from one’s supervisor, while psychological contract breach only mediated the relationship between qualitative job insecurity and feedback-seeking from one’s supervisor. Both mediators were not significantly related to help-seeking behavior. This study demonstrates that qualitatively job-insecure employees are less likely to engage in informal learning via a decrease in occupational self-efficacy and an increase in psychological contract breach, thereby becoming even more vulnerable in an increasingly volatile work environment.

Exploring teachers’ career self-management. Considering the roles of organizational career management, occupational self-efficacy, and learning goal orientation.

ABSTRACT The current study examines how organizational career management – i.e. activities undertaken by schools in order to plan and manage teachers’ careers – relates to teachers’ career self-management – i.e. teachers steering their careers by means of searching for opportunities, networking, or seeking supervisory support. Moreover, it examines the mediating roles of occupational self-efficacy and learning goal orientation in this relationship. Mediation analysis in SPSS, using the PROCESS macro of survey data from 220 Dutch secondary school teachers, showed that positive relationships between organizational career management and career self-management were mediated by occupational self-efficacy and learning goal orientation.

The Perceived Influence of Role Models and Early Career Development in Native and Migrant Youth

Role models provide youth with valuable information on how to pursue their career goals. However, whether the presence of role models is related to career development beyond social support has not been sufficiently addressed. We investigated how perceived role model influence and social support were related to goal engagement among 191 students and to work engagement among 500 apprentices, and whether these effects were mediated by occupational self-efficacy. We further examined differences between native and migrant youth. Data were analyzed using multigroup structural equation modeling. Our results suggested that engagement was related to role model influence beyond its relationship with social support among students and apprentices. However, this relationship was not found for migrant students. There were no significant indirect effects of role model influence on engagement via self-efficacy among students and apprentices. Our results suggest that role models should be acknowledged as a distinct facilitator of adolescents’ work-related engagement.

Coping With Negative Stereotypes Toward Older Workers: Organizational and Work-Related Outcomes.

The current study aims to test a moderated-mediation model in which occupational self-efficacy determines the indirect effect of negative stereotypes about older workers in the organization both on psychological engagement in the work domain and on attitudes toward development opportunities through identification with the company. The survey involved 1,501 Italian subjects aged over 50 who were employed by a major large-scale retailer. Consistently with the Social Identity Theory and the Social Exchange Theory, results showed that the perception of negative stereotypes about older workers in the organization is associated with low identification with the company and, subsequently, with poor psychological engagement in the work domain and with attitudes indicating very little interest in development opportunities. In addition, this association was found to be stronger in older workers with higher and medium levels of occupational self-efficacy. These findings suggest that organizations should discourage the dissemination of negative stereotypes about older workers in the workplace because they may lead to older workers’ disengagement from the work domain and their loss of interest in development opportunities.

Betydningen av individuelle kjennetegn i møte med laissez-faire-ledelse [The importance of individual characteristics in the face of laissez-faire leadership

The aim of this study was to examine laissez-faire leadership as a predictor of role ambiguity in the workplace. It also endeavoured to uncover whether occupational self-efficacy and competence uncertainty moderated this relationship. In a sample of 386 Norwegian employees who were also students at Folkeuniversitetet, laissez-faire leadership showed a significant association with role ambiguity. Hierarchical multiple regression was used in the analysis of the possible moderating effects occupational self-efficacy and competence uncertainty had on this relationship. We found a significant interaction effect of occupational self-efficacy on the relationship between laissez-faire leadership and role ambiguity. Specifically, the positive relationship between laissez-faire leadership and role ambiguity proved stronger at low levels of occupational self-efficacy. Contrary to our predictions, the analysis showed no significant interaction effect of competence uncertainty on the same relationship. Demonstrating that the relationship between laissez-faire leadership and role ambiguity can be moderated by individual characteristics asserts the need for further research on how organisations can establish measures to strengthen employees’ personal resources, in addition to preventing the occurrence of laissez-faire leadership.

Occupational anxiety and self-efficacy levels among prospective teachers

<span lang="TR">This study examined the relationship between occupational anxiety and self-efficacy levels of prospective teachers enrolled in pedagogical formation training certificate program at the faculty of education in universities under the Council of Higher Education to teach in secondary schools and high schools in Turkey, and evaluated them based on diverse variables (gender, department, high school type, educational level of parents). It was a descriptive study using survey model. The study group comprised 236 prospective teachers. Research data were gathered through “Teaching Occupation Anxiety Scale” and “Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale”. </span><span lang="EN-GB">The study concluded that the prospective teachers’ anxiety about the teaching profession was low, whereas they had high occupational self-efficacy, and there was a moderate, negative relationship between the two variables. The study also found that occupational self-efficacy levels of the participants differed in relation to the educational level of father.</span>

Psychological climate predicting job insecurity through occupational self-efficacy

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to test the hypothesized mediation model that specifies psychological climate dimensions as antecedents of job insecurity, while accounting for occupational self-efficacy. Stemming from the conservation of resources theory, the authors hypothesize that job challenge, role harmony, leader support and co-worker cooperation negatively relate to job insecurity due to its positive correlation with occupational self-efficacy.Design/methodology/approachData were collected with a sample of 329 white-collar employees from the ICT sector who were employed full-time and for a period of at least six months in their current organization. All hypotheses were tested via structural equation modeling using the bootstrap method to test the significance of indirect effects.FindingsAmong the four work environment domains, only job challenge had a significant contribution in explaining job insecurity variance. This relationship was fully mediated by occupational self-efficacy.Research limitations/implicationsThe cross-sectional research design limits the ability to make causality inferences, while the convenience sampling method limits the generalizability of findings.Practical implicationsThe study results indicate that well-designed (i.e. challenging, autonomous and important) job tasks may be advantageous in organizational interventions aimed at reducing job insecurity due to their potential to strengthen employees’ efficacy beliefs.Originality/valueThe study results contribute to current knowledge regarding the relative importance of work environment antecedents of job insecurity, as well as the prominent role played by occupational self-efficacy in explaining some of these relationships.

To hangover or not: trajectories of job satisfaction in adolescent workforce newcomers

ABSTRACTThe development of job satisfaction during the first months on the job often indicates a honeymoon hangover, with high levels of job satisfaction gradually declining. This effect is often explained by disappointed expectations that are informed by previous job experiences. However, research has not established whether a hangover pattern could also be observed in individuals without previous work experience. We explored the development of job satisfaction with 4 assessment points across the first 4 months after starting vocational training among 357 Swiss adolescents. On average, a hangover pattern in job satisfaction was confirmed. Using person-centred growth mixture modelling, we identified two groups with distinct trajectories. Although a majority showed a hangover pattern, a third of participants showed stable, high job satisfaction. We presumed that adolescents with more contextual and personal resources (i.e., perceived social support, occupational self-efficacy, core self-evaluations, and perceived person–job fit) would be more likely to avoid a hangover pattern. Results confirmed that the two groups differed significantly in all these resources, with the high stable satisfaction group showing higher resources. The results illustrate the importance of a diverse set of resources to facilitate a positive trajectory of job satisfaction at the beginning of work life.

Authentic Leadership and Work Engagement: The Mediatory Role of Employees’ Trust and Occupational Self-Efficacy

Purpose: The aim of the study is to find the impact of Authentic Leadership on Employee work engagement and the mediating role of employee trust and occupational self-efficacy. Methodology: The sample size of this study was 200 employees from different organizations of Pakistan and the quantitative method was used which includes questionnaires with close-ended questions. Smart PLS software was used to measure the relationship among variables and different techniques for the analysis were adopted such as SEM Path Analysis and Confirmatory factor analysis. Findings: The results indicate a strong relationship among variables and supported that there is a positive influence of Authentic leadership on employee work engagement along with the mediating effects of employee trust and occupational self-efficacy. Conclusions: This research finds a strong and positive relationship among the variables and highlights the vital role that authentic leaders play in motivating employees to bring positive change in employee’s attitudes and behavior. The conclusions drawn will help to develop strategies so that the leaders may develop positive traits and workers may perform effectively and efficiently to enhance the productivity of an organization.

Authentic Leadership and Work Engagement: The Mediatory Role of Employees’ Trust and Occupational Self-efficacy

Authentic Leadership and Work Engagement: The Mediatory Role of Employees’ Trust and Occupational Self-efficacy

Work-Related Flow Inventory: Evidence of Validity of the Brazilian Version

Abstract Flow in work is constituted by the positive experiences and mental state experienced during the day-to-day occupational activities. This study aims to adapt and assess the psychometric properties of the Brazilian Version of the Work Related Flow Inventory (WOLF). Participants were a nationwide sample of 640 professional (74% women), aged 19 to 73 years (M = 35.9, SD = 10.5). Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) supported the oblique three-factor structure (absorption, work enjoyment and intrinsic work motivation) as being the most reliable to the data. Multigroup CFA achieved full measurement invariance for the gender and employment status (autonomous and non-autonomous). Flow dimensions were positively related to occupational self-efficacy and job satisfaction. WOLF presented adequate psychometric properties, suggesting its usefulness in evaluating flow at work in the Brazilian context.

The correlation between challenging and obstructive stress on occupational coping self-efficacy of emergency nurses

Objective To explore the effect of challenging and obstructive work stress on occupational coping self-efficacy of emergency department nurses. Methods A total of 50 in-service nurses in the emergency department of the hospital from January 2016 to January 2017 were selected as the survey objects.The relationship between challenge-obstructive job stress and career coping self-efficacy were investigated and analyzed. Results There was a significant positive correlation between the challenge pressure of nurses in the emergency department and the occupational burden and relationship difficulty, with statistically significant difference (P<0.001). The obstructive stress of nurses in emergency department was positively correlated with occupational burden and relationship difficulty, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001). Age, nursing working time, emergency nursing working time, professional title and educational background were all significant factors contributing to challenging pressure, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). And all of them were significant inhibitory factors of obstructive stress, with statistically significant differences (P<0.05). Conclusions The challenging work pressure of emergency department nurses can enhance the occupational coping self-efficacy, while the obstructive work pressure can inhibit the occupational coping self-efficacy. Key words: Emergency nurses; Challenging obstructive work pressure; Occupational coping self-efficacy

The Importance of Occupational Self-Efficacy Moderation on the Organizational Cynicism Forms and Employee Task and Contextual Performance Relationships

The Importance of Occupational Self-Efficacy Moderation on the Organizational Cynicism Forms and Employee Task and Contextual Performance Relationships

Does socioeconomic status shape young people's goal revision processes in the face of negative career feedback?

Based on social cognitive career theory and general self-regulation theories, we examined the relationships between negative career feedback (on goal suitability and goal progress) and goal revision intentions (for goal disengagement and lowering career goals), and tested the mediating role of occupational self-efficacy and the moderating role of socioeconomic status (both objective and subjective SES). Using a sample of 244 college students (73% female; Mage = 19.28 years), we found that both negative feedback types related to greater intentions to disengage from, and lower goals, via lower occupational self-efficacy. Higher objective SES strengthened the relationships between negative feedback on goal suitability and goal revision intentions, while higher subjective SES weakened these relationships indirectly via occupational self-efficacy. In addition, both higher objective and subjective SES weakened the relationships between negative feedback on goal progress and intentions to lower goals. Contrary to expectation, SES did not moderate the relationship between negative feedback on goal progress and goal disengagement intentions, nor did it moderate the indirect relationships between this type of feedback and both forms of goal revision intention via occupational self-efficacy. These findings highlight the importance of SES and occupational self-efficacy in young people's self-regulation processes when confronted with negative career feedback about either goal suitability or progress.

How and when LMX quality relates to counterproductive performance

Purpose In spite of the recent meta-analysis by Martin et al. (2016), we have very little insight about the theoretical mechanism explaining the leader–member exchange–counterproductive work behavior (LMX–CWB) relationship. Drawing on social cognitive theory, the purpose of this paper is to test if occupational self-efficacy functions as a mediating mechanism to explain the relationship between LMX quality and counterproductive performance directed toward the supervisor. In addition, based on the conservation of resources theory, the paper investigates if supervisor–subordinate relationship tenure acted as a second-stage moderator of this mediated relationship. Design/methodology/approach The authors used two-wave time-lagged data from a sample of 189 high-tech professionals to test the hypotheses, controlling for age, sex, and trust. Findings The results of this paper showed that occupational self-efficacy carried the effect of LMX quality on counterproductive performance, but only for workers who have longer supervisor–subordinate relationship tenure. Originality/value This paper is unique in proposing and testing a social cognitive mechanism to explain the relationship between LMX quality and counterproductive performance. As Johns (2017) advocated, the authors incorporated length of time, a contextual variable into this study by investigating supervisor–subordinate relationship tenure as moderating the proposed mediated relationship.

Mechanisms for Building Working Alliances in Clinical Supervision

While social workers and researchers acknowledge the importance of a positive working alliance between service providers and clients, less is known about mechanisms for developing working alliances between supervisors and supervisees. The Alliance Building: Learning to Engage (ABLE) model was developed to measure and enhance the supervisory relationship. The ABLE model consists of a tool for continuous measurement of the supervisory working alliance as well as several research supported resources. This two part study assessed the reliability and validity of the ABLE supervision tool (ABLE-S), and then a randomized control trial pilot study was conducted to determine if the use of ABLE in supervision improves the professional quality of life and occupational self-efficacy for supervisees. Analyses revealed the ABLE-S tool is a reliable and valid form for measuring supervisory working alliance, but the use of ABLE in supervision did not have a significant effect on supervisee outcomes compared to the control group. The findings suggest additional training on proper implementation of ABLE and expanded measurements to capture several confounds inherent in the supervisory context are needed in future studies. Practical implications of using ABLE include effective strategies for promoting positive supervisee development and reducing negative effects of stressful work environments that often exist in the social service field.

Procrastination in Daily Working Life: A Diary Study on Within-Person Processes That Link Work Characteristics to Workplace Procrastination.

Procrastination is a form of self-regulation failure characterized by the irrational delay of tasks despite potentially negative consequences. Previous research on procrastination was mainly conducted in academic settings, oftentimes combined with a focus on individual differences. As a consequence, scholarly knowledge about how situational factors affect procrastination in work settings is still scarce. Drawing on job stress literature, we assumed that work characteristics go along with cognitive appraisals of the work situation as a challenge and/or hindrance, that these cognitive appraisals affect employees' self-regulation effort to overcome inner resistances, and that self-regulation effort should in turn be related to workplace procrastination. In our study, we focused on three specific work characteristics that we expected to trigger both challenge and hindrance appraisal simultaneously: time pressure, problem solving, and planning and decision-making. We hypothesized serial indirect effects of these work characteristics on workplace procrastination via cognitive appraisal and self-regulation processes that unfold within individuals over short periods of time. Consequently, we conducted a diary study with three measurement occasions per workday over a period of 12 days. Overall, 762 day-level datasets from 110 employees were included in Bayesian multilevel structural equation modeling (MSEM; controlled for sleep quality and occupational self-efficacy). Our results revealed negative serial indirect effects of all three work characteristics on workplace procrastination via increased challenge appraisal and subsequently reduced self-regulation effort. Further, our results showed a positive serial indirect effect of time pressure (but not of problem solving or planning and decision making) on workplace procrastination via increased hindrance appraisal and subsequently increased self-regulation effort. Overall, our study showed that work characteristics are linked to workplace procrastination via within-person processes of cognitive appraisal and self-regulation. Because not all work characteristics triggered hindrance appraisal, we argue that it may make sense to further differentiate challenge stressors in the future. Moreover, cognitive appraisals affected self-regulation effort only on the within-person level. On the between-person level self-regulation effort was strongly negatively related with occupational self-efficacy. Thus, we conclude that depending the perspective on procrastination (e.g., differential psychology perspective vs. situational perspective) different variables will be considered relevant to explain the emergence of procrastination.