A positive spiral of self-efficacy among public employees

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to test a positive spiral of self-efficacy among public employees. The spiral proposes that self-efficacy is positively related to extra-role behaviors. These behaviors in turn are positively related to subsequent self-efficacy. Design/methodology/approach A total of 260 public employees participated in three waves of data collection: self-efficacy (T1); extra-role behaviors (T2); self-efficacy (T3). Findings The results confirmed the existence of a positive spiral of self-efficacy. There was a positive and significant link from self-efficacy of employees (T1) to extra-role behaviors (T2). In addition, it was found a positive and significant relationship between extra-role behaviors (T2) and subsequent self-efficacy (T3) once the link from self-efficacy in T1 and T3 was controlled for. The mediation role of extra-role behaviors was also confirmed. Originality/value The examination of positive spirals is one of the critical challenges of the investigation of personal resources. In the current research study, the authors test the positive spiral of a critical personal resource such as self-efficacy. Additionally, the lagged design permits a solid test of the aforementioned spiral.