Self-management efficacy as a mediator of the relation between job design and employee motivation

Existing job design models have been criticized for being able to explain a ffective outcomes more consistently than they do those of task motivation a nd performance. This study presents an empirical test of several propositio ns relating to the role of task-related efficacy beliefs as mediators of th e relation between job design and task motivation and performance. We begin by highlighting gaps in job design theory, particularly in respect to perf ormance within contemporary work contexts with their increased emphasis on self-management, and draw on social cognitive theory to de scribe the role of self-management efficacy beliefs as a mediator between job design and ta sk motivation. We hypothesize that self-management efficacy will be a first -level outcome of jobs offering opportunities for self-management and also that these beliefs will mediate the relation between opportunities for self -management and task motivation. We tested these hypotheses in a cross-sect ional field study (N=270). The results support the need to differentiate be tween paths from job design that lead to affect and paths that lead to task motivation. There was a strong direct relation between skill utilization a nd affect (job satisfaction) and task motivation. In contrast, self-managem ent efficacy mediated the path between work method control and task motivat ion, and the relation between work method control and affect was not signif icant. Finally, we discuss implications of these results for future researc h and practice.