Efficacy beliefs and team effectiveness : a meso approach / Ilona Berth

Abstract

Following a meso-contingency approach (Rousseau & House, 1994), this study examined the relationship between efficacy beliefs and effectiveness outcomes in a team context. Specifically, the interaction effects of self-efficacy and group efficacy as well as their direct effects on effectiveness outcomes at the individual level and at the group level were examined. Forty-two work teams (174 members and 42 supervisors) from several industries within Western Canada completed a survey assessing their efficacy beliefs, their attitudes at work, and their performance. The cross-level hypotheses revealed that self-efficacy positively related to individual effectiveness and to team attitudes but not to team performance. Group efficacy positively correlated with team effectiveness but not with individual effectiveness. Moreover, group efficacy as a shared belief and as a perception of individual team members was hypothesized to moderate the relationship between self-efficacy and team members’ effectiveness. However, these moderation hypotheses were not supported.