The impact of self-efficacy and work environment on job performance through eustress

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

HO CHI MINH CITY OPEN UNIVERSITY

--------∞0∞--------

NGUYEN THANH BINH

THE IMPACT OF SELF-EFFICACY AND WORK

ENVIRONMENT ON JOB PERFORMANCE

THROUGH EUSTRESS

Major: BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Major code: 8 34 01 01

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Supervisor: Prof. Dr. NGUYEN MINH HA

HO CHI MINH CITY, 2022

TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC MỞ

THÀNH PHỐ HỒ CHÍ MINH

KHOA ĐÀO TẠO SAU ĐẠI HỌC

CỘNG HÒA XÃ HỘI CHỦ NGHĨA VIỆT NAM

Độc lập – Tự do – Hạnh phúc

GIẤY XÁC NHẬN

Tôi tên là: NGUYỄN THANH BÌNH

Ngày sinh: 29/04/1975 Nơi sinh: TP-HCM

Chuyên ngành: QUẢN TRỊ KINH DOANH Mã học viên: 1883401020082

Tôi đồng ý cung cấp toàn văn thông tin luận văn tốt nghiệp hợp lệ về bản quyền cho

Thư viện trường đại học Mở Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh. Thư viện trường đại học Mở

Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh sẽ kết nối toàn văn thông tin luận văn tốt nghiệp vào hệ thống

thông tin khoa học của Sở Khoa học và Công nghệ Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh.

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COMMITMENT

I hereby declare that the thesis "The Impact of Self-Efficacy and Work Environment on

Job Performance through Eustress" is my own work.

Except for the references cited in the thesis, I hereby commit that the whole or parts of

this thesis have never been published or used to obtain a degree elsewhere. No other

person's work or research has been used in this thesis that has not been properly cited.

This thesis has not been submitted to receive any degree designation at any other

university or other training institution.

Hochiminh city, November 11th, 2021

Author

Nguyen Thanh Binh

v

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Completing this thesis has been one of the most difficult challenges I have ever

experienced. I would like to express my deepest thanks to the following people who

have given me great support, patience, and guidance that helped me complete this study.

Firstly, I would like to thank my supervisor, Prof. PhD Nguyen Minh Ha, who

saved valuable time to instruct me despite his academic duties and commitments. Your

dedication to knowledge and standards has greatly inspired and motivated me.

Asso. Prof. PhD Trinh Thuy Anh, who transferred the light of a positive mind set

and, besides academic leadership knowledge, gave me the ideas for approaching positive

psychology. And Asso. Prof. PhD Hoang Thi Phuong Thao, who instructed, encouraged,

and gave me good advice on accessing the good-stress concept, which is the basis for

launching these thesis ideas.

PhD Cao Minh Tri for his genuine support throughout this research work; and

PhD Vu Huu Thanh, who also trained and assisted me in accessing the most recent PLS￾SEM analysis method. Thanks for their willingness, which has encouraged me despite

difficulties from the pandemic crisis in HCMC.

My wife, without whom my efforts might have been worth nothing. Her support

and love with patience have helped me get through difficulties and fulfill this hard work.

I am very sorry for those times when we had big quarrels. And to Truc-Van, my beloved

daughters, who spent many days alone to give me a private space to concentrate, I am

sorry for your difficult time.

My colleagues, especially Ms. Vi, who helped me handle company work very

well, despite the pressures from work and family. Finally, special thanks to all the

professors, doctors, teachers, OU’s staff, and friends who participated in this research

project with interest and enthusiasm as well. My deepest thanks to the respondents and

all the people who have supported me in accomplishing the research work directly or

indirectly

Sincerely,

Nguyen Thanh Binh

vi

TÓM TẮT

Trong tình hình khủng hoảng đại dịch, những khó khăn và căng thẳng luôn ở

khắp mọi nơi, đặc biệt là trong các tổ chức. Trước đây, căng thẳng trong công việc được

xem như một căn nguyên gây ra trì trệ trong tất cả hoạt động cần được ngăn chặn hoặc

ứng phó xử lý; tuy nhiên trong bối hiện tại, căng thẳng được coi là một trong những hiện

tượng phổ biến. Nghiên cứu về căng thẳng hoặc khám phá mối tương quan của các yếu

tố gây căng thẳng đóng vai trò quan trọng trong cuộc sống và công việc, như thể căng

thẳng là một bình thường mới (Roger M., 2004), khám phá những lợi ích của căng thẳng

tích cực và sự đóng góp của nó vào hiệu quả công việc là điều cần thiết. Thông qua giả

thuyết của các nghiên cứu trước, tác giả sử dụng phương pháp định tính kết hợp với

nghiên cứu định lượng để đánh giá vai trò trung gian của căng thẳng tích cực.

Nghiên cứu này áp dụng phần mềm SPSS, phần mềm SmartPLS và phần mềm

Excel cho việc phân tích định lượng. Kết quả cung cấp bằng chứng cho thấy vai trò

tương tác trung gian của căng thẳng tích cực trong sự tác động gián tiếp của tự tin bản

thân và môi trường làm việc lên hiệu quả công việc, cụ thể là eustress đóng vai trò trung

gian giải thích sự tác động gián tiếp của: (a) tự tin bản thân lên hiệu quả công việc ở

mức VAF=14.1% và (b) môi trường làm việc lên hiệu quả công việc ở mức

VAF=15.7%.

Các phát hiện của nghiên cứu nhấn mạnh vai trò quan trọng của việc thúc đẩy tự

tin bản thân của cá nhân và cải thiện môi trường làm việc để nâng cao hiệu quả công

việc thông qua eustress.

Từ khóa: Căng thẳng tích cực, Tự tin bản thân, Môi trường làm việc, và Hiệu quả

công việc.

vii

ABSTRACT

In the situation of pandemic crisis, difficulties and stress occur everywhere,

esprecially occur in organizations. In prior context, work stress is treat as a cause of

delay in all activities which need to be prevented from or coped with, anyhow in present

background, stress is seen as a common phenomenon. Research for the eustress or

findings the relationship of factors to eustress play important role in living & working

with stress as a new normal (Roger M., 2004), exploring the advantages of eustress and

its contribution to job performance is badly need. Through the hypothesis of previous

researches, the author used qualitative methods combined with quantitative study to

conduct the mediating role of eustress.

This Research applied the SPSS software, the SmartPLS software and the Excel

software for quantitative analysis. The results provide evidence that the mediated

interaction of eustress in the indirect impact of self-efficacy and work environment on

job performance, in particular, eustress plays a mediated explaining role in the indirect

impact of: (a) self-efficacy on job performance at VAF=14.1% and (b) work

environment on job performance at VAF=15.7%.

The findings of the research highlight the vital role of promoting an individual’s

self-efficacy and improving the work environment in enhancing job performance

through eustress.

Keywords: Eustress, Self-efficacy, work environment, Job performance.

viii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COMMITMENT ..........................................................................................................iv

TÓM TẮT .....................................................................................................................vi

TABLE OF CONTENTS.......................................................................................... viii

Chapter 1 : INTRODUCTION

1.1 Rationale of this research ..............................................................................1

1.2 Research objectives.......................................................................................3

1.3 Research questions ........................................................................................3

1.4 The subject and the scope of research ...........................................................4

1.5 Methods.........................................................................................................4

1.6 Study significance .........................................................................................5

1.7 The research’s structure.................................................................................6

Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW AND RESEARCH MODEL

2.1 Concepts and definitions...............................................................................8

2.1.1 Definitions of eustress.....................................................................8

2.1.2 Concepts of self-efficacy.................................................................9

2.1.3 Concepts of work environment .....................................................10

2.1.4 Definitions of job performance .....................................................10

2.2 Theoretical background and hypotheses .....................................................11

2.2.1 The Theory of the Yerkes-Dodson Law........................................11

2.2.2 The finding of eustress..................................................................13

2.2.3 The positive mindset of stress.......................................................14

2.3. Reviewing previous studies and research hypothesis .................................16

2.3.1. Reviewing previous studies...........................................................16

ix

2.3.2. Proposal of Research Model .........................................................21

2.4 Research hypothesis.....................................................................................25

a) Relations of self-efficacy and job performance ..................................21

b) Relations of work environment and job performance.........................22

c) Relations of eustress and job performance..........................................22

d) Relations of self-efficacy and eustress................................................23

e) Relations of work environment and eustress.......................................24

2.5 Chapter summary .........................................................................................25

Chapter 3: METHODOLOGY

3.1. Research designs .........................................................................................26

3.2. Research methods........................................................................................27

3.2.1. Qualitative research.......................................................................27

3.2.2 Quantitative research......................................................................29

3.2.3 Scales of Quantitative Research.....................................................30

3.2.4. Scale modification.........................................................................30

a.) Self-efficacy scale ...................................................................30

b.) Work environment scale .........................................................31

c.) Eustress scale ..........................................................................32

d.) Job performance......................................................................32

3.2.5 Pilot study.......................................................................................29

3.3. Determining sample size .............................................................................36

3.4. Data collecting.............................................................................................37

3.5. Data analysis................................................................................................37

3.6. Chapter summary ........................................................................................42

x

Chapter 4: DATA ANALYSIS

4.1. Descriptive analysis.....................................................................................43

a.) Data cleansing ....................................................................................43

b.) Samples descriptive analysis..............................................................43

c.) Quantitative variable descriptive analysis..........................................44

4.2. Measurement Model Assessment................................................................45

4.2.1. Inspecting Indicator Reliability.....................................................46

4.2.2. Inspecting Composit Reliability....................................................47

4.2.3. Inspecting Convergent Validity through AVE index....................48

4.2.4. Checking Discriminant Validity by examing Cross Loading .......48

4.2.5. Inspecting Heterotrait-Monotrait Ratio (HTMT)..........................50

4.3. Construct model analysis.............................................................................51

4.4. Statistical significance assessment ..............................................................52

4.5. Mediation analysis.......................................................................................53

4.6. Discussion....................................................................................................55

4.7. Chapter summary ........................................................................................58

Chapter 5: CONCLUSIONS AND MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS

5.1. Conclusion...................................................................................................60

5.2. Managerial Implications..............................................................................60

5.3. Limitations and orientation for next research .............................................61

Reference ......................................................................................................................63

Appendix.......................................................................................................................77

xi

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2. 1: Yerkes and Dodson Law (1908) ................................................................12

Figure 2. 2: Physiological arousal during flow-experience between stress and

relaxation (Peifer et al., 2014).......................................................................................12

Figure 2. 3: Illustration of stress stages of Yerkes and Dodson (1908), depicted by

Martin (2018).................................................................................................................13

Figure 2. 4: Hans Selye’s concept of stress. (depicted by Simmons, 2000) .................14

Figure 2. 5: Model of Holistic Stress (Hargrove, 2013) by eliminated negative stress of

Simmons & Nelson (2007) model.................................................................................14

Figure 2. 6: Model of self-efficacy negative affect on distress Vu Viet Hang et al.

(2016).............................................................................................................................16

Figure 2. 7: Model of work environment impact on job performance ..........................17

Figure 2. 8: Model of Hargrove et al. (2013) ................................................................18

Figure 2. 9: Model of occupational stress of Spector (1998) {depicted by Le Fevre et

al. (2003)}......................................................................................................................19

Figure 2. 10: Model of Self-efficacy vs Job performance of Na-Nan (2019)...............20

Figure 2. 11: Proposal of Research Model ....................................................................21

Figure 3. 1: Research process........................................................................................26

Figure 4. 1: Path Model after Algorithm 2nt run – an extraction from Smart PLS

3.3.3 ...............................................................................................................................47

Figure 4. 2: Path Model after Bootstrapping 1st run – an extraction from Smart PLS

3.3.3 ...............................................................................................................................50

xii

LIST OF TABLES

Table 3. 1: Self-efficacy scale .......................................................................................30

Table 3. 2: Work environment scale..............................................................................31

Table 3. 3: Eustress scale...............................................................................................32

Table 3. 4: Job Performance scale.................................................................................33

Table 3. 5: Total Statistics of Pilot Test Variable Indicators ........................................34

Table 4. 1: Descriptive statistical analysis ....................................................................43

Table 4. 2: Statistical analysis of observe variabes.......................................................44

Table 4. 3: Outer Loadings of measurement model indicators .....................................46

Table 4. 4: Composit Reliability indexes......................................................................47

Table 4. 5: Average Variance Extracted indexes ..........................................................48

Table 4. 6: Cross Loading Analysis ..............................................................................48

Table 4. 7: Adjusted Cross Loading Analysis...............................................................49

Table 4. 8: Heterotrait-Monotrait Ratio Indexes...........................................................50

Table 4. 9: Inner VIF Value ..........................................................................................51

Table 4. 10: R Square and Adjusted R Square indexes.................................................51

Table 4. 11: The Effect Size index ................................................................................51

Table 4. 12: Q Square indexes.......................................................................................52

Table 4. 13: Path Coefficients Analysis........................................................................52

Table 4. 14: Total Indirect Effects.................................................................................53

Table 4. 15: Specific Indirect Effects............................................................................53

Table 4. 16: Total Effect................................................................................................54

xiii

LIST OF ABBREVIATION

ABBREVIATION INTERPRETATION

SE Self-Efficacy

WE Work Environment

EU Eustress

JP Job performance

et al. Et alia, means “and others”

PLS-SEM Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling

SPSS Statistical Package for the Social Sciences

YDL Yerkes-Dodson Law

HTMT heterotrait-heteromethod

CR Composite Reliability

α Cronbach Alpha

VAF Variance accounted for value

VIF Variance Inflation Factor

AVE Average Variance Extract

IDI Individual Depth Interview