نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
عنوان مقاله English
نویسندگان English
Purpose: In today’s complex and turbulent environment, employee self-efficacy is a critical mechanism of self-influence. However, its antecedents and consequences have been investigated in a fragmented manner, with no comprehensive framework available. Most prior studies have relied on quantitative, correlational, or experimental methods, which may not fully capture the context-dependent and multidimensional nature of self-efficacy. To address this gap, the present study integrates existing evidence through bibliometric analysis and meta-synthesis to identify the key antecedents and consequences of employee self-efficacy and provide a more comprehensive understanding of the construct.
Design/Methodology/Approach: The present study is developmental in terms of purpose and descriptive-analytical in nature and was conducted using a combined bibliometric analysis and meta-synthesis method. In the first step, bibliometric analysis was used to examine the evolution, key themes, and trends in the field of employee self-efficacy. For this purpose, 468 documents were collected from the Scopus citation database between 2000 and 2025. VOSviewer version 1.6.20 software was used for descriptive and bibliometric analysis. Next, in order to identify the antecedents and consequences of self-efficacy, the meta-synthesis method was used. Since bibliometric analysis only includes documents from global scientific databases and excludes domestic studies, meta-synthesis was employed as a complementary method to develop a comprehensive localized model of antecedents and consequences. In the meta-synthesis method, the seven-step model of Sandelowski and Barroso (2007) was used. In this section, articles were selected from reputable domestic and international scientific databases from 2000 to 2025 based on criteria related to the research question. From an initial pool of 517 articles, after screening and removing duplicates (19 articles), irrelevant titles and abstracts (18 articles), quantitative and review studies (330 articles), irrelevant content (68 articles), and articles without clear findings (47 articles), a final set of 35 articles was selected.
Findings: Based on the findings of the bibliometric analysis, universities in the Netherlands and the United States are the most influential organizations and countries in this field, highlighting the stronger contribution of these scientific centers in producing and disseminating research on this topic. This superiority in the strength of scientific connections may reflect the attention and research investment of most developed countries in this field. In addition, employee self-efficacy, while having a strong theoretical underpinning, also has distinguishable thematic clusters. Thematic clusters related to COVID-19 and nursing show that the global pandemic has led to the emergence of new applied research sub-fields since 2021. In the meta-synthesis section, the content of the articles was reviewed several times, and 77 initial concepts were extracted, including 57 codes in the field of antecedents and 20 codes in the field of consequences. Based on the results of the meta-synthesis, the outcomes were extracted in two main themes: objective outcomes and subjective outcomes, and the antecedents were extracted in four main themes: organizational characteristics, job characteristics, individual well-being, and individual characteristics.
Discussion and Conclusion: In general, the findings of the bibliometric and meta-synthesis methods show that employee self-efficacy is a multifaceted construct that is shaped by a complex interaction of individual, job, and organizational factors, and in turn, has clear consequences on individual performance, professional development, and employee mental health. In practical terms, organizations can increase self-efficacy capital by designing supportive work environments, developing skills, and strengthening the role of constructive leaders. In this context, it is recommended that organizations strengthen employee self-efficacy by designing supportive work environments, reducing unbalanced workloads, increasing flexibility, and ensuring role clarity. In addition, mentoring programs, structured career paths, and direct learning opportunities help increase self-efficacy.
کلیدواژهها English
