9 Tips to Increase Self-Efficacy in the Workplace

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<p>Self-efficacy, or the belief in one’s ability to successfully execute a task, is <a title="The Relationship between Self-Efficacy and Workplace Performance" href="http://www.talkdesk.com/blog/the-relationship-between-self-efficacy-and-workplace-performance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">directly tied to performance</a>. Managers seeking to increase the performance of their team should engage in practices that <a href="https://www.talkdesk.com/blog/how-self-efficacy-affects-performance-in-the-workplace" target="_blank" rel="noopener">enhance self-efficacy</a> in their employees and teams.</p>
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<p>Below are 9 tips to help managers increase self-efficacy in the workplace [1].</p>
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<h3>1. Recruit applicants with high self-efficacy</h3>
<p>Careful hiring practices and utilization of specific interview questions that probe an applicant’s general level of <a href="https://www.talkdesk.com/blog/4-sources-of-self-efficacy-in-the-workplace" target="_blank" rel="noopener">self-efficacy</a> are important to developing a team with high self-efficacy. Selecting individuals who have higher self-efficacy beliefs will increase the probably that they will be more motivated to perform well.</p>
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<h3>2. Ensure job demands are appropriate</h3>
<p>The complexity of job demands has an impact on self-efficacy. Individuals who gain mastery completing complex, challenging and autonomous jobs increase self-efficacy. Individuals who lack the opportunity to engage in challenging work are often bored and disengaged, leading to a decrease in self-efficacy.</p>


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<h3>3. Improve training and professional development practices</h3>
<p>Employee’s self-efficacy expectations for tasks can be increased through guided experience, mentoring and role modeling. Assign a team leader who exemplifies self-efficacious behavior and identify them as a role model. Additionally, enhance self-efficacy with professional development opportunities for all employees.</p>
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<h3>4. Enhance self-management</h3>
<p>Systematic self-management training enhances self-efficacy expectations. Encourage employees to set realistic personal goals, delineate clear priorities, be well-organized and enhance time-management skills.</p>
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<h3>5. Set reasonable goals and expectations</h3>
<p>Goal difficulty should match the individual or group’s level of perceived self-efficacy. As self-efficacy and performance increase, so should the complexity of the task demands and the level of the goal.</p>
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<p>Goals that are too ambitious result in performance failure and can have a negative impact on self-efficacy and future performance. They can also precipitate a downward efficacy spiral. Goals that are set too low can result in a false sense of self-efficacy. This will lead to greater frustration and discouragement when the employee faces more difficult tasks.</p>
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<p>Goals that are challenging and attainable lead to both the highest performance levels and more resilient self-efficacy beliefs.</p>
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<p>Break larger goals into tangible steps. The achievement of mini-goals which lead toward a larger goal provides a sense of task mastery and competence, increasing self-efficacy.</p>



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<h3>6. Improve coaching strategies</h3>
<p>Increase the quality and quantity of constructive pointers, <a href="https://www.talkdesk.com/resources/infographics/21-components-of-effective-feedback/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">feedback</a>, guidance, support and education you provide your team. This feedback must be accurate, timely and specific in order for the individual or group to understand the cause-and-effect relationship involved in performing the task and to increase performance in the future.</p>
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<h3>7. Have confidence in your employees</h3>
<p>It is necessary to have confidence in employees and to convince them that they have the ability to succeed at a particular task. When managerial confidence increases, so does employee performance. Communicate your confidence in your employees in various ways to have the largest impact.</p>
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<h3>8. Improve leadership and mentoring</h3>
<p>Identify your top performers and promote them to leadership or mentoring positions. Improve the quality and quantity of positive role models within team in order to increase self-efficacy of the individuals and team. Encourage managers and team leaders to engage in supportive leadership activities.</p>
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<h3>9. Acknowledge and reward</h3>
<p>Both small and large successes should be acknowledged and <a href="https://www.talkdesk.com/blog/the-basics-of-a-successful-employee-rewards-program/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rewarded</a>. These will enhance self-efficacy and lead to greater achievements. Also, point out to the team when an employee succeeded at a particularly demanding task. This will increase other employee’s self-efficacy to perform similar tasks.</p>
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<p>Increasing self-efficacy in both individuals and teams should be made a managerial priority. When executed properly, increasing employee self-efficacy will lead to enhanced capabilities of employees and will have a major impact on the performance of individual employees as well as the team.</p>
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<p class="ref-title">References:</p>
<p><small>[1] Kreitner and Kinicki. 2004. Organizational Behavior. Boston. MA: McGraw Hill, Irwin.</small></p>



<p>Find out how to develop and enhance your employee rewards programs.</p>


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9 Tips to Increase Self-Efficacy in the Workplace

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Other blog posts.

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