Self-efficacy and Individual Performance - Lessons from Marketing Research

• Author: Madalina Balau
• Pages: 255-264

Performance and Risks in the European Economy

255

Self-efficacy and Individual Performance – Lessons from Marketing

Research

Mădălina Bălău1

Abstract: The objective of this paper is to highlight several important marketing research findings around the

concept of self-efficacy and draw from them lessons for the individuals and managers that could enhance their

task performance as well as that of the peop le they are managing or working with. Prior research shows that

changing certain behaviors or enabling a desired performance constitutes important interdisciplinary issues

with practical impact at economic, social and individual level. Many of the models used to understand and

predict consumer behavior propose that intention alone poorly predicts performance of a behavior and is needed

a certain amount of control, abilities or skills. The concept of self-efficacy is particularly interesting in

understanding human performance (or the lack of it) due to its context specificity, its importance on actual

performance and its flexibility, as individuals can easily i mprove on it. The current results picture sometimes

self-efficacy as a mediating variable for performance, some other times as a moderating factor in tackling

constraints on behavior. The implications of the research on self-efficacy are relevant for managers as well as

for the individuals themselves. The value of these findings is that, in spite of some diverging perspectives in

behavior modelling, the marketing research studies highlight important ways in which individuals could use

the concept of self-efficacy in improving their performance, through awareness.

Keywords: self-efficacy, consumer behavior, individual task performance, self-efficacy improvement.

JEL Classification: D83; M31

1 Introduction

Individuals are constantly involved in changing their behavior, whether we speak of behaviors directly

linked to economic activity (like buying and using products and services) or other types of behavior that

may have an economic dimension (like giving money for charity, recycling, or having more initiative in

the workplace, etc.). Consumer behavior literature provides several models that account for the main

factors that determine enactment, most frequently tested models taking an internal perspective and

focusing on the psychological factors of the individual. One of the internal factors that received much

attention is motivation, frequently equated as intention, and having as its main antecedents attitudes and

internalized social norms. However, another important factor for individual behavior was recognized in

possessing the abilities, skills and control to perform that action and this paper will focus on this

important factor and the findings provided by marketing research.

1Senior Lecturer, PhD, DiSEDD Research Center, Danub ius University of Galati, Romania, Address: 3 Galati Blvd. , Galati

800654, Romania, Tel.: +40372361102, Corresponding author: madalina.balau@univ-danubius.ro..