CONCEPT
Personal vs. System Efficacy
The measurement distinction AI-era burnout assessment requires: between <em>capability that belongs to the individual</em> and <em>capability of the person-plus-tool system</em> — two forms of efficacy that feel identical to the worker but have opposite implications for vulnerability.
Personal versus system efficacy is the measurement refinement this volume proposes to address the inadequacy of Maslach's Personal Accomplishment subscale under AI conditions. Personal efficacy is the capability that belongs to the individual and persists independent of any particular tool. System efficacy is the capability of the person-plus-tool system — the amplified capability that AI provides when tools are available. Both are real. Both contribute to accomplishment. But they have opposite implications for vulnerability. A worker whose identity is anchored in personal efficacy retains stable professional self-concept across tool changes. A worker whose identity depends on system efficacy is exposed to every disruption in the tool environment, and her exposure is proportional to the degree of inflation.
In The You On AI Field Guide
The distinction matters because the existing MBI conflates the two. The Personal Accomplishment subscale asks about feelings of competence and meaningful contribution using items designed before the specific dynamics of tool-amplified capability existed at
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