Structural model of the effect of professional competence development on job satisfaction: the mediating role of psychological self-efficacy

Developing professional skills and increasing psychological self-efficacy is the main key to progress and increasing job satisfaction. Psychological self-efficacy plays an effective role in choosing, striving and persevering and pursuing individual and organizational goals. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to investigate the mediating role of psychological self-efficacy in the relationship between the development of professional competencies and job satisfaction.

The current research was conducted using the correlation method based on PLS structural equation modeling. For this purpose, 384 employees of Naja were selected by cluster sampling and asked to complete the questionnaires of professional competence development, psychological self-efficacy, and job satisfaction. The reliability results of the research tool were calculated using the alpha coefficient and composite reliability (CR) and the results related to convergent validity were calculated using the AVE index and are at a favorable level. In addition, in order to answer the main question of the research and design the structural model of the research, SmartPLS software version 3 was used.

The results showed that the development of professional skills has an effect on the job satisfaction of employees through the mediation of psychological self-efficacy. In addition, both the variable of developing professional skills and the variable of psychological self-efficacy have a direct effect on job satisfaction.

according to the obtained results and according to Bandura's social-cognitive theory, the variables of developing professional skills and psychological self-efficacy are among the important variables that affect the individual's behavior. In other words, the participation of employees in the activities and career decisions subsequently leads to the improvement of the development of the individual's professional skills in the job and job satisfaction.