"The Little Engine That Could" Could be You

"I think I can, I think I can," puffed the little "Engine That Could," struggling against all odds to pull a stranded train up a steep hill. And, because it believed that it could, guess what? It actually did!

And, guess what else? Psychological research indicates a scientific basis for this inspirational little tale.

According to research done by social psychologist Albert Bandura in the 1990's, a psychological construct known as perceived self-efficacy is a key determinant in, among many other things, the level of success a professional achieves in their work.

Bandura found that, when people believe in their capabilities to exercise control over their own functioning, and over the events that affect their lives, they perceive themselves to be self-effective. On the assumption that a measurement of the strength of this belief would yield a measurement of the related trait of perceived self-efficacy, psychologist Dr. Ralf Schwarzer developed a simple 10-item test to measure it:

Answer:

1 = Not at all true, 2 = Hardly true, 3 = Moderately true, 4 = Exactly true

to each of the following questions:

1. I can always manage to solve difficult problems if I try hard enough.
2. If someone opposes me, I can find the means and ways to get what I want.
3. It is easy for me to stick to my aims and accomplish my goals.
4. I am confident that I could deal efficiently with unexpected events.
5. Thanks to my resourcefulness, I know how to handle unforeseen situations.
6. I can solve most problems if I invest the necessary effort.
7. I can remain calm when facing difficulties because I can rely on my coping abilities.
8. When I am confronted with a problem, I can usually find several solutions.
9. If I am in trouble, I can usually think of a solution.
10. I can usually handle whatever comes my way.

(You can learn more about this instrument, its validity, what it measures, and how it's been used in years of global research, here.)

Bandura identified four factors that reinforce a person's perceived sense of self-efficacy (listed in no particular order; they're each equally significant):

• Mastery experiences - the innate positive sense of satisfaction and accomplishment one gets from having done something well
• Observing people similar to oneself managing task demands successfully - learning to be effective by watching others who are effective
• Social persuasion that one has the capabilities to succeed in given activities  - being told by coworkers and superiors that you have what it takes
• Inferences from somatic and emotional states indicative of personal strengths and vulnerabilities - the positive physical, emotional, and cognitive "feedback" one senses while successfully doing a job

Bottom Line: To overcome the impediments, adversities, setbacks, frustrations and inequities of professional life, people need a robust sense of efficacy to sustain the perseverant effort needed to succeed. Research has shown that people with a high degree of perceived self-efficacy, as measured by instruments like Dr. Schwarzer's (see above), tend to perform well in their professions.

Discussion Questions:
Is Self-Efficacy always a valid Perception, or sometimes an Illusion?

The application of Bandura's research to understanding IT task performance, with its uniquely abstract work products, begs several fundamental questions. This post's discussion questions are based on a more skeptical look at Bandura's four foundations of perceived self-efficacy:

• Mastery experiences - do IT professionals pat themselves on the back too much, especially for doing off-point technical jobs that they were never actually tasked with?
• Observing people similar to oneself managing task demands successfully - what effect does "stealing credit" for something somebody else did have on an individual? More importantly, what effect does it have on colleagues who observed the theft?
• Social persuasion that one has the capabilities to succeed in given activities - Really? Is that all it takes? Doesn't such persuasion need to have some basis in fact?
• Inferences from somatic and emotional states indicative of personal strengths and vulnerabilities - In the abstract world of IT, how do we differentiate "real" positive work experiences from delusions?

Thanks to my good friend, and avid blog reader, Joe, for pointing me to this humorous example of stolen credit: