Are we doing enough to develop students' self-efficacy for teamwork?

Employers today are increasingly interested in employing management graduates who are able to work in teams. Using data from 163 graduate management students this paper examines students’ self-efficacy for twelve specific teamwork skills. Irrespective of their managerial experience, some students had a relatively low level of self-efficacy about their ability to perform important teamwork skills including conflict resolution and being assertive. Individual difference variables of gender, extroversion, and managerial experience, were also found to be differentially related to students’ self-efficacy for some teamwork skills. The paper concludes that graduate management programs need to do more to develop students’ self-efficacy for teamwork skills. Suggestions for the development of students’ self-efficacy are outlined, along with future research directions.