This theory, initiated by Albert Bandura (1977), a Canadian psychologist and professor at Stanford University, develops the notion of agentivity, i.e., an individual’s ability to act independently. One of its main characteristics is self-efficacy.
This is the feeling of being "up to the task" of achieving one's goals, of being ready to act.
Self-efficacy refers to people's beliefs about their ability to achieve particular performances. It helps to determine choices of activity and environment, investment in pursuing goals, persistence of effort, and emotional reactions to obstacles.[1]
The sources of this feeling are fourfold:
The beauty of this approach is that it highlights the social influences of the environment and those close to a person on their level of motivation.
And it's about time! Because the vast majority of theories have focused on the individual and on predominantly internal influences, such as drives, desires, cravings, and goals.
It would have been logical for theories of motivation at work to look a little more closely at these social influences to feed their explanatory models and to take a closer look at the influence processes specific to groups. Once again, it's surprising that researchers interested in work motivation have not considered such work, and we can only hope that the opening of this field will advance our understanding of the complex mechanisms of this phenomenon.[2]
In this direction, we shall continue our discovery of the mechanisms that influence motivation.
[1] Maïlys Rondier, « A. Bandura. Auto-efficacité. Le sentiment d’efficacité personnelle », L'orientation scolaire et professionnelle, 33/3 | 2004, 475-476.
[2] Maugeri, Salvatore. Théories de la motivation au travail - 2ème édition (Les Topos) (French Edition) . Dunod.