The potency of one-to-one contact with union leaders: enhancing self-efficacy to become a union steward.
Finding ways to encourage union members to become union leaders is a perennial problem for unions. P. A. Roby originally found the importance of one-to-one contact with union leaders in becoming a union steward. In this study, the authors examined stewards' descriptions of their one-to-one contact with a union leader before becoming a steward. They sought to (a) replicate and strengthen Roby's findings, (b) explore one-to-one contact as a self-efficacy (i.e., confidence) enhancing experience, and (c) identify self-efficacy enhancement modes to strengthen the potency of the contact experience. The results from a mostly open-ended questionnaire of 44 stewards mirrored Roby's findings. The results indicated that self-efficacy enhancement modes were present in the one-to-one contact experience and that the enhancement modes were related to self-efficacy to become a steward. Two of the modes, verbal encouragement and emotional inhibition, were independently related to self-efficacy. The authors suggest how leaders could increase the potency of their contact with members as a means of encouraging members to become stewards.
Mellor
Steven
S
Department of Psychology, University of Connecticut, Storrs 06269-1020, USA. steven.mellor@uconn.edu
Bulger
Carrie A
CA
Kath
Lisa M
LM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007750:Labor Unions; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D020377:Self Efficacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires