Abstract

Perceived efficacy beliefs are a central component to feelings of human agency. Agency governs how we consider our opportunities, perceive our control over our circumstances, and select goals for future self-regulated action. Understanding how self-efficacy and collective efficacy function in teams over the course of a season may provide further understanding into performance within goal orientation. This study aims to explore how self and collective efficacy function in a longitudinal case study of one team at preseason, midseason, and postseason to inform future research and work with teams to inspire individual and collective action. Results indicate support for the theory that self and collective efficacy pull from the same resources, but function differently. Over the course of this season, the team in this study experienced consistent and chronic loss. The recurring experience of negative events impacted the ways in which the team attributed and coped with failure during the season. It was found in the context of chronic failure, collective efficacy beliefs may be utilized to preserve self-efficacy beliefs in times of universal struggle and repeated loss. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.