As an important part of China's real economy, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) play a pivotal role in promoting China's economic and social development. Under the influence of COVID-19, SMEs are affecting more negatively. Facing the sudden impact from the outside, their survival and development are also facing with great pressure and new challenges. Middle-level managers are the backbone of enterprise management, and the effectiveness of enterprise internal operation and management is closely related to the management of enterprises. Self-efficacy, hope and well-being motivated individuals to complete a task efficiently and thus improved job performance. This study put forward two hypotheses: (1) There was a positive correlation between hope, well-being and self-efficacy of middle managers in small and medium-sized enterprises; (2) The hope and well-being of middle managers in small and medium-sized enterprises can predict the change of their self-efficacy. Based on the questionnaires among 397 middle-level managers in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Guangdong Province, the results of research prominently showed that the hope, well-being and self-efficacy of middle managers of small and medium-sized enterprises were not high in pandemic epidemic of COVID-19 in generally. The hope and well-being of middle-level managers were positively associated with self-efficacy. Regression analysis was conducted with hope and well-being as independent variables and self-efficacy as dependent variables. Both hope and well-being entered the regression equation, and the explanation rate of the two factors for self-efficacy was 49%. According to the results of research, on the one hand, middle-level managers should be given cognitive motivation with goal-direction and further hope in terms of promotion mechanism, skills training, position training, reward mechanism, evaluation mechanism and so on. On the other hand, the self-efficacy of middle-level managers should be inspired or promoted by salary, welfare, work-environment and safety, team-support and communication, logistics and living security and other aspects. The hope and well-being of middle-level managers were improved and probably self-efficacy was also improved, which was beneficial to business management and got the win-win between enterprises and these managers. 

Jun Luo. Research on Improvement-ways of Self-efficacy of Middle-level Managers in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. International Journal of Frontiers in Sociology (2021), Vol. 3, Issue 10: 77-83. https://doi.org/10.25236/IJFS.2021.031014.

[1] Bandura A. Self-eficacy Towarda Unifying Theory of Behavioral Change [J]. Psychological Review, 1977, 84(02):191-215. 

[2] Fred, Luthans. Organizational Behavior [M]. Beijing: Posts and Telecommunications Press, 2003. 

[3] Myeong-gu S, Remus I. The role of self-efficacy, goal, and affect in dynamic motivation alself-regu lation [J].Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2009(109):120-133.

[4] Jawahar I M, Meurs J A. Self-eficacy and political skill as comparative predicators of task and contextual performance: A two—study constructive replication [J]. Human Performance, 2008(21):138—157.

[5] Seijts G H,Latham G E. The effect of commitment to learning goal, self-eficacy, and the interaction between learning goal dificulty an d commitment on performanee in a business simulation [J].Human Performance,2011(24):189-204.

[6] Feng D D, Lu C Q, Xiao A L. The Relationship between Job Insecurity and Well-being and Performance: The Role of Self-efficacy [J]. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 2008, 40 (4): 448. 455. 

[7] Ren J. Positive psychology. Shanghai: Shanghai education press, 2006. 

[8] Zhang Y. Empirical Research on the effect of subjective well-being on Job Performance of new generation employees, Taiyuan: Shanxi University, 2010. 

[9] Su T, Chen C H, Song Y X. Research on employee well-being based on meta-analysis and evaluation. Journal of management, 2018, 15(04): 512-522. 

[10] Ma X W. Research on Emotional Intelligence, Self-efficacy and Subjective Well-being of Tibetan University students. Shanxi: Northwestern University, 2008. 

[11] CＲ Snyder.The will and the ways: Development and validation of an individual differences measure of hope. JPSP,1991,60:570-585.

[12] Youssef C M, Luthans F. Apositive organizational behavior approach to ethical performance. In: R Giacalone. C Jurk-iewicz, C Dunn. Eds. Positive psychology in business ethics and corporate social responsibility. Greenwich，CT: Information Age,2005a:1-22.

[13] Zhong L F. The Influence of Psychological Capital on Job Performance, Organizational Commitment and Organizational Citizenship Behavior of Employees [J]. Acta Psychologica Sinica, 2007,39(2):328-334. 

[14] Liu H G, Pan X F. The influence of leaders' hope and self-efficacy on their subjective well-being, Psychological Exploration, 2011, 31(2): 176-181. 

[15] Zheng X. Positive psychology - the science of human happiness and power, China light industry press, 2008. 

[16] Wang C K, Hu Z Q, Liu Y. Research on reliability and validity of general self-efficacy scale, Applied Psychology, 2011, 7 (1), 38-40. 

[17] Larson M, Luthans F. Potential Added value of psychological capital in predicting work attitudes [J]. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 2006. 13: 4-62. 

[18] Wu M X. The theoretical development of subjective well-being in the West in the past 30 years. Psychological dynamics，2000，4: 23 -28.

[19] Miao Y J. Happiness from a psychological perspective [M]. Tianjin: Tianjin People's Publishing House, 2009. 

[20] Zheng X M, Zhang C, Yu H B. Antecedents of Employee SWB of Shenhua Shendong Coal Group Corporation Limited. Journal of Management Case Studies. 2010,3(3):203-214. 

[21] Wu W T. Impact of Hours Worked on Occupational Well-being An Empirical Analysis Based on Three Typical Occupations. China Industrial Economy. 2016(3):130-145.