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This paper aims to offer the views that the psychological construct, self-efficacy, is significantly related to high or strong performance at work and that a brief, efficient survey allows for managers and HR practitioners to assess individuals per the characteristic.

The authors performed a broad review of literature, mostly empirical research, focused in particular upon the linkage of self-efficacy with work performance. Important conclusions of this review are reported. Also researched were the existing measures (surveys and scales) of self-efficacy that demonstrated validity and reliability.

Hundreds of studies, in combination, have concluded that the construct, self-efficacy, is highly and positively related to individual motivation, self-confidence, proactive behavior, and work performance, among other valued characteristics. There are measures to use to assess individual beliefs regarding self-efficacy that may be used in for recruitment and placement decisions.

Clearly expressed is the substance and value of the self-efficacy construct which has been the subject of hundreds of studies. The importance of self-efficacy and its linkage to motivation and performance is expressed. A brief, statistically valid, and reliable instrument is offered in its entirety for use by managers and/or HR practitioners.

The aim of this paper is to offer a viewpoint that grade point average (GPA) does more than generally predict success on the job; it also helps predict whether a recruit or employee has a tendency to engage in voluntary, helpful behavior in the service of co-workers and the organization. If GPA helps predict both job success or performance, and one’s predisposition to freely offer helpful behavior in the work environment, then the GPA metric has increased value.

A review of recent and past research demonstrates that voluntary, helpful behavior on the job, adjunct to competent performance of required tasks, results in desirable consequences for the organization, co-workers and the employee. A summary of key points of several studies and some details of a recent study makes clear the link between GPA and helpful behavior.

Supervisor ratings and two brief surveys have been found to correlate positively and significantly with voluntary, helpful employee behavior. The same surveys also correlate positively and significantly with collegiate GPA.

The combination of metrics identified in this paper is rarely studied or used. The surveys, in particular, may assist recruiters and managers to identify employee value across a broad spectrum of performance.

This paper aims to express the value of manager/supervisor coaching with the intent of improving employee self-regulated learning (SRL). It examines the concept of SRL and its components; how SRL can assist employee performance and contribute to organizational success; and ways in which managers may intervene with employees via coaching to assist employees’ learning.

This discussion of SRL and coaching is based on an extensive literature review of recent research regarding SRL.

There are many practical opportunities for managers to enhance SRL of employees through coaching in the workplace.

There are many practical opportunities for managers to enhance SRL of employees through coaching in the workplace.

The purpose of this paper is to express metacognitive functioning in general terms and to explain how it influences employee learning/knowledge acquisition, self-regulation, engagement and growth mind-set.

The authors provide a viewpoint grounded on a review of recent research regarding the regulation of learning on-the-job. Concepts are expressed in a direct manner for the use of human resource practitioners and managers.

Metacognition is mental work that helps one to regulate and improve his/her learning. The authors find that there are ways for human resource practitioners and/or managers to assist employees improve their learning practices that ultimately influence work activities and outcomes.

Metacognition is not a scientific mumbo-jumbo; it represents how one learns to learn. In organizations, it is important to understand how a typical employee may improve her/his learning processing and learning outputs. Authors suggest that practitioners and managers attain some understanding of metacognition and how one may stimulate improved learning processing in employees.

The purpose of this paper is to identify influential workplace engagement interventions that were initiated by managers over several years as revealed in many studies. Also, an action learning guide is offered for an individual manager to use such interventions with the employee in shaping activities to assist employee learning and performance improvement which may result in greater workplace engagement.

The first step was to examine the research literature on: the meaning of workplace engagement along with theory bases for it, the framework for stimulating employee engagement and information about action learning in the workplace. Second, was the identification of manager/organization interventions found to result in employee assessment of their own positive growth in workplace engagement? Third, we offer a practical, action learning approach.

An action guide is presented as an example of a method to assist a manager working with, in this case, a single employee. The guide is grounded on empirical research, mostly meta-analyses, and reflects positively assessed workplace engagement interventions.

In the performance management, human resources and training domains there is limited research and/or examples of practical guides for managers to use to link guidance with efforts to apply specific interventions to support employee workplace engagement. This paper provides the manager with a path to assist employees.

This essay is practitioner-focused and aims to provide the manager or supervisor with a summary of critical information regarding voluntary, employee helpful behavior or organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). The summary helps explain motivation and predispositions per OCB, as well as explicit advice regarding ways to encourage and, perhaps, recognize this desired behavior.

Methodology is grounded on two elements. First, a literature review of empirical and other research on OCB, pro-social behavior, extra-role behavior, and contextual performance. Second, based on review and brief analysis of features of the behavior to include: definitions, motivation/predispositions, and employee performance, explicit guidance is offered for managers.

Critical information is provided about OCB and voluntary helpful behavior. The objective is to identify important aspects of the behavior and place it in a format that is accessible to the typical manager or supervisor. This approach can assist the manager to create appropriate means to identify the desired behavior as well as to encourage it.

Virtually all of the empirical research on OCB and other forms of voluntary helpful behavior make the case that such behavior is most desirable for the organization, manager, and co-workers. The research also points out that not all employees who engage in the behavior have expectations of recognition or any form of reward for their actions. This essay gives the practitioner information regarding observation of the behavior and its motivation. In addition, advice is provided to assist in stimulating the desired behavior.

Currently, nearly all of the expressions of OCB and voluntary helpful employee behavior are found in academic journals and related literature. Typically, these sources of information are not readily available to practicing managers. This condition is what prompts an essay aimed at practitioners that captures the essential aspects of the voluntary, desirable employee behavior as well as practical advice.

This viewpoint demonstrates the importance and significance of individual self-efficacy beliefs and perceptions with regard to performance and in relation to self-regulated learning. The concept of self-efficacy has been widely researched and reported mainly in academic journals. This viewpoint aims to clearly explain the concept and its formation, give some details of its relationship with performance and persistence in effort, and present some specific advice for managers and supervisors pertaining to guiding and assisting employees.

This paper is built upon the following: a thorough review of the literature regarding the topic of self-efficacy, the practical experience of the authors in mentoring and supervising employees, and a desire to offer specific, helpful advice to managers/supervisors in enhancing and stimulating employee self-efficacy and personal learning.

The body of research across several domains, such as business, education (mostly pre-college), psychology, and athletics, clearly reveals that personal self-efficacy beliefs/perceptions can be highly motivational with regard to performance and improvement in learning tactics and strategies. This study finds that little attention has been given to advising managers/supervisors in assisting employees to enhance personal self-efficacy, hence the effort to provide direct advice.

There have been a few attempts to link self-efficacy with self-regulated learning. Both concepts are valuable when it comes to individual effectiveness in performance and in one’s personal growth; and this study highlights the coordination between the two. Originality and value are represented in the advice offered for managers/supervisors using the ordered, process steps of self-regulated learning as an organizing basis.

The paper is practitioner-focused with a manager-as-coach applying experiential learning to aid an employee's learning and improve performance as well as helping to build employee commitment to both the job and organization. Reciprocity is intended as the learning and commitment of both the employee and manager are enhanced.

As a conceptual, not empirical, paper, the present study aimed at guiding manager behavior the methodology aims to examine the areas of manager-as-coach, efficacy of coaching, theoretical grounding of employee commitment and experiential learning processes. Study and coordination of information in these areas provided support for a detailed action plan for practical application.

It is possible to create a research results–driven practical guide/action plan for managers. The guide incorporates manager skills and commitment theory (investment) along with an experiential learning approach aimed at improving employee growth and building commitment.

There is clear evidence in empirical research that employee commitment positively relates to work performance, job engagement and job retention. This paper applies investment theory to build commitment as it is based on actual inputs and efforts of the employee.

There is very little research currently available that directly addresses manager-as-coach deliberately working to increase or build employee commitment to job, organization or the manager her/himself. This essay aims directly at how commitment may be enhanced.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the linkage of case-based instruction with the enhancement of self-regulated learning of employees. Specific objectives are to review and describe: some characteristics of adult learning, features and functions of self-regulated learning (SRL) and the instructional approach, case-based learning (CBL), followed by a synthesis of the information in the form of a detailed, CBL approach for practitioner use.

The approach used in this work is represented in the following phases. First, conduct a literature review of each of these areas: characteristics of adult learners, details of SRL and its components, accompanied by the expression of linkages among the concepts and CBL. This includes exploration of metacognition, as it relates to the self-regulation of learning. Also reviewed was CBL, including theory background. Literature reviews were aided by databases: Education Research Complete, Psych Info and ScienceDirect. The second substantive phase was to synthesize the information obtained in the reviews and analysis and create a detailed design presentation for using CBL with trainees.

The findings of the analysis and synthesis of information enable the expression of a complete, detailed approach to the application of CBL for practitioner use. A review of practices in CBL augmented with examination of important theories of situated cognition and constructivism assist in building a rationale as to how case-based instruction may improve individual and team/group self-regulation of learning.

Presented in the paper is a complete model of case-based instruction for practitioner use and refinement.

Case-based instruction has not been directly linked to the self-regulation of learning. This paper makes a contribution to the literature of CBL as well as to situational cognition.

This paper aims to provide some bounds to the concept of employee engagement, explain how it links to job performance and offer a practical training tool, skill-charting (SC), that can assist a manager and her/his employees attain higher levels of work engagement.

The discussion of SC and employee engagement is based on a literature review of recent research.

In the realm of opportunities for managers to encourage and enhance employee engagement, the learning and problem-solving tool, SC, presents a practical means to achieve positive results in several domains.

There are few instances in the literature where highly specific advice is offered to practitioners regarding how managers can quickly and directly stimulate, encourage and assist employees to reach higher levels of engagement. The approach suggested in this paper can be of much value to both manager and employees.