The Relationship Between Leadership Self-Efficacy and Resilience

Abstract

In this study, we focused on leadership self-efficacy and resilience, which are effective for leadership, and conducted longitudinal surveys in the fourth year of university and the first year of professional life . We employed a cross-lagged effect model using longitudinal data to examine the relationship between Leadership Self-Efficacy scale (LSE;“empathy,” “accomplishment,” “change,” and “encouragement”) and a Bidimensional Resilience Scale (BRS; the innate factor and acquired factor of resilience) during the transition from university to the professional life . The results showed that the scores of all four factors of the LSE and two factors of the BRS significantly decreased in the first year after university. In addition, fourth-year university students' innate factors of resilience had a significant positive effect on the accomplishment, change, and encouragement in the LSE. Further, fourth-year university students' acquired factors of resilience had a significant positive effect on their accomplishment in the LSE. For fourth-year university students, LSE had no effect on BRS in the first year of their professional life, suggesting that the acquired factors of resilience before entering university may impact leadership self-efficacy, in addition to empathy, in the first year of one’s professional life.