Group Efficacy Paper

There are several methods that increase the performance of groups. One of the many methods is the building of group efficacy - it is defined as the group members’ collective estimate of their ability to perform a specific task (Gibson, 1999). Group efficacy is likely to affect a group’s commitment, the manner in which they work together, their resilience in the face of difficulties, and their overall performance (Bandura, 1997). Bandura (1997) proposes four sources of information that are believed to lead to the development of self-efficacy. The first of these is an individual’s past performance - both past successes and failures - will have a strong effect upon one’s self efficacy. If one has gone through a similar task to which one is currently facing, then they are likely …show more content…
Bandura (1995) also states that individuals with high levels of efficacy believe that they have high locus of control - they believe they can control potential environmental threats and in result, learn to deal and manage them. In addition, Bandura (1995) claims that individuals with high levels of efficacy experience lower levels of anxiety due to higher locus of control over outcomes - they are good in coping with the situation and they have greater willingness to take on difficult tasks. These suggest that high levels of self-efficacy contribute to individuals that are more comfortable with their task, more engaged, and more willing to continue their task in the face of challenges. In one of Bandura’s (1986) earlier writings, he suggests that group efficacy may have some similar effects upon an individual’s participation within the group. According to him, group efficacy “ “will influence what people choose to do as a group, how much effort they put into it, and their staying power when group efforts fail to produce