Abstract:
This study investigates the factors influencing the self-efficacy of non-managerial employees in the government banking industry within the Kegalle district of Sri Lanka. It examines how mastery experience, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, and affective states impact self efficacy beliefs through the lens of the Social Cognitive Theory. Self-efficacy, described in the literature as confidence in effectively performing tasks, is essential for non-managerial employees, as it influences their motivation, effort, persistence, decision-making, behavior under stress, perceived abilities in challenging situations, and skill development. These factors also contributed to resilience. This study adopts a positivistic, quantitative approach, collecting data through a survey of 196 non-managerial employees from the two largest State Banks in the Kegalle district. Self-administered questionnaires were emailed to the participants and responses were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods using SPSS (version 21). The results revealed that mastery experience, vicarious experience, and verbal persuasion positively influence self-efficacy. Mastery experience emerged as the strongest predictor, emphasizing the role of past achievements in building confidence. Vicarious experiences also significantly impact self-efficacy, particularly when individuals relate to the models they observe. Verbal persuasion contributes positively to self-efficacy by enhancing motivation and confidence. However, affective states such as anxiety and stress
negatively affect self-efficacy, underscoring the importance of emotional well-being in
sustaining high self-belief. The findings highlight the need for organizations to promote self efficacy among non-managerial employees by creating opportunities for mastery experience, providing role models, and offering constructive feedback. Addressing emotional well-being and reducing workplace stress are also crucial for fostering a supportive environment for self efficacy. The limitations of the study include the restricted geographic scope of the Kegalle district, focus on government bank employees, potential self-report bias, and limited sample size. Future research could expand the scope to include emerging industries such as IT and explore other factors affecting self-efficacy through a qualitative approach.
