What Differentiates Employees' Job Performance Under Stressful Situations: The Role of General Self-Efficacy

ABSTRACT

The aim of this research is to verify the two-dimensional challenge–hindrance stressor framework in the Chinese context, and investigate the moderating effect of general self-efficacy in the stress process. Data were collected from 164 Chinese employee–supervisor dyads. The results demonstrated that challenge stressors were positively related to job performance while hindrance stressors were negatively related to job performance. Furthermore, general self-efficacy strengthened the positive relationship between challenge stressors and job performance, whereas the attenuating effect of general self-efficacy on the negative relationship between hindrance stressors and job performance was nonsignificant. These findings qualify the two-dimensional challenge–hindrance stressor framework, and support the notion that employees with high self-efficacy benefit more from the positive effect of challenge stressors in the workplace. By investigating the role of an individual difference variable in the challenge–hindrance stressor framework, this research provides a more accurate picture of the nature of job stress, and enhances our understanding of the job stressor–job performance relationship.

KEYWORDS:

• Challenge stressors
• general self-efficacy
• hindrance stressors
• job performance

Funding

This research was fully supported by the grant from Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health (Project No. Z151100001615053), and the grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project No.71271005).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Chang-Qin Lu

Chang-Qin Lu is an associate professor at School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University, China. His research focuses on work stress, with interests in the jointed roles of self-efficacy and workplace social support among stress process, job insecurity, spillover and crossover effects of work-family conflict/balance, and issues in cross-cultural stress research.

Dan-Yang Du

Dan-Yang Du graduated from School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences at Peking University. She is currently a PhD student in the Department of Psychology at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Her research interests include stress management, work family interface, and work engagement.

Xiao-Min Xu

Xiao-Min Xu is currently a master student in School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences, Peking University. Her research interests include organizational justice, and job insecurity.