Promoting Role Breadth Self-Efficacy Through Involvement, Work Redesign and Training

• Published in: Human relations (New York) Vol. 56; no. 1; pp. 113 - 131
• Main Authors: Axtell, Carolyn M., Parker, Sharon K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks, CA SAGE Publications 01.01.2003; Kluwer Academic; Plenum; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Autonomy; Behavior; Communication; Design; Employee development; Employee empowerment; Employees; Employment; Initiatives; Longitudinal studies; Organization; Organizational behavior; Organizations; Participation; Roles; Self sufficiency; Self-efficacy; Selfefficacy; Sociology; Sociology of organizations and enterprises. Bureaucracy and administration; Sociology of work; Sociology of work and sociology of organizations; Studies; Training; Work roles; autonomy; improvement groups; role breadth self-efficacy; breadth of training; influence; Control; Organization; Efficiency; Influence; Autonomy; Professional training; Work Group; Occupational Role; Communication
• ISSN: 0018-7267; 1741-282X
• DOI: 10.1177/0018726703056001452

This article examines the influence of organizational practices on role breadth self-efficacy (RBSE); a person’s confidence in performing proactive, interpersonal tasks that go beyond traditional boundaries. A longitudinal study showed that increased task control, membership of an active improvement group, and breadth of training were associated with increased RBSE. Providing a stronger basis for causal inference, membership of active improvement groups at Time 1 also had a positive lagged effect on later RBSE. These findings support the proposition that RBSE can be enhanced via organizational intervention. The study also showed that, after controlling for greater involvement, job enlargement had a negative lagged effect on RBSE. This suggests the potential detrimental consequences of enlarging jobs without also expanding employees’ autonomy and influence.