A study of agentic self‐efficacy and agentic competence across Britain and the USA

The reality of working in multicultural environments, in multinational companies and in a global marketplace have made an understanding of potential cultural and country differences imperative. Focuses on two constructs relevant to the study of work‐related behaviour, agentic self‐efficacy and agentic competence. Self‐efficacy may be defined as an individual’s judgement of his/her capability to organize and execute a course of action required to attain a designated type of performance. Agentic behaviour includes creating and/or taking advantage of opportunities, risk‐taking behaviour, assertiveness in the protection of one’s rights and in the pursuit of one’s goals, persistence in goal pursuits, and willingness to change one’s situation to achieve a better fit with interests, aspirations and expectations. Examines differences in agentic competence and agentic self‐efficacy across two countries: Britain and the USA. No significant differences emerged from the results, indicating the cross‐country applicability of the two concepts examined. Suggests that further research of this nature, across a broader range of constructs and countries, is needed.