Why Self-efficacy is the blueprint which you demand to test and spread?

Self-efficacy affects behavior choices, motivation, thought patterns, situational responses, preferences in behavior, productivity at work, as well as one’s understanding about future.

Team members with a significant degree of self-efficacy view challenges and obstacles as opportunities to learn and grow whereas individuals with a low level of self-efficacy aim to avoid obstacles.

Those with a significant degree of self-efficacy are confident in their competence to achieve while those with a low level of self-efficacy lack a great deal of confidence, are skeptical of themselves, and suspect their abilities.

Albert Bandura is widely regarded as one of the most influential psychologists.He’s best known for is his theory of self-efficacy. Bandura defines self-efficacy as follows:

“[T]he belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations.”

Bandura believed that we build a self-system based on our social skills, cognitive skills, observational learning, and social backgrounds.

This self-system is the backbone of our personality and self-efficacy is one of the essential components of it. 

Where does self-efficacy come from and how can you look at more of it? The originator of the theory, Albert Bandura names four sources of efficacy beliefs.

1. Mastery Experiences:

Having a success, for example in mastering a task or managing an environment, will develop self- belief in that area whereas failure will ruin that efficacy belief.

I have worked with many great scrum masters where I could find these instances in their way of working. I love to share their instances with other scrum masters and it works.

2. Vicarious Experiences:

Self-efficacy increases when you are prepared to relate to your role model or mentor. Seeing people analogous to ourselves succeed by their sustained effort raises our beliefs that we too acquire the capabilities to master the actions needed for achievement in that section.

There are many scrum masters, we request them to teach how they are simplifying tough tasks and surmount some of the challenges. This inspire another scrum master to gain from their experience.

3. Verbal Persuasion self efficacy 

Influential individuals in our lives such as parents, teachers, managers or coaches can enhance our beliefs that we have what it takes to succeed. Surround yourself with individuals who believe you can achieve. There are some individuals who will even influence you to believe that you are competent of succeeding.

4. Emotional & Physiological States

The state we are in will influence how we evaluate our self-efficacy. How we feel can be a hindrance to our progress by changing our attitudes and perceptions of who we are and how we will carry out our objectives. Our negative emotions can generate stress, anxiety, frustration, and fear—all which do not make you in intercultural activity.

People with poor self-efficacy commonly experience the following qualities:

• Team members who avoid accepting new challenges as they anticipate disappointment.
• Team members who strongly believe that they are not competent of executing complicated tasks.
• Team members who concentrate on disappointments and misfortunes as personal drawbacks.
• Team members who are less confident about themselves.
• Team members who lack a sense of responsibility to their works.
• Team members who have a hard time recovering from setbacks and under-performance.
• Team members who quickly lose interest in activities.
• Team members who demand results without investing in much efforts.

If we as a scrum master ensure above said conditions has been taken care in every human being, we can obtain an impressive team performance.

1. Member’s self-efficacy expectations for tasks can be stepped up through guided practice, mentoring and role modeling.
2. Assist members to set sensible personal goals, 
3. People who achieve mastery executing complex, demanding and autonomous activities develop self-efficacy

Organizations should choose individuals who have high levels of self-efficacy