When Compassion Matters Most: Self-Efficacy as a Moderator of Compassion Effects on Teacher Performance Perceptions

Teacher well-being and performance represent critical challenges for educational systems worldwide. While organizational compassion has been identified as a protective resource, it remains unclear for whom compassion is most beneficial. Drawing on Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) theory and Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, we examined whether teachers’ self-efficacy moderates the relationship between workplace compassion and performance perceptions, testing differential patterns for individual versus organizational performance evaluations. Italian public-school teachers (N = 218; 82% female; M teaching experience = 11.6 years) completed an online survey measuring compassion at work, self-efficacy, and perceptions of individual and organizational performance. We employed a two-stage approach, first validating the measurement model through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), then testing moderation hypotheses using path analysis with mean-centered variables. Bootstrap confidence intervals (5000 iterations) verified the reliability of interaction effects. Self-efficacy significantly moderated the effect of compassion on individual performance perceptions (β = −0.006, p = 0.006; bootstrap 95% CI: [−0.010, −0.002]), revealing a compensatory pattern. Teachers with lower self-efficacy benefited substantially from workplace compassion (simple slope β = 0.31, p < 0.001), whereas teachers with high self-efficacy showed no significant benefit (β = 0.06, ns). The hypothesized synergistic effect on organizational performance perceptions was not supported (β = 0.006, p = 0.027; bootstrap CI included zero). Organizational compassion functions as a compensatory resource, most powerfully supporting teachers who lack personal resources. This challenges assumptions that organizational interventions uniformly benefit all employees and suggests that compassion-based interventions should be strategically targeted toward teachers experiencing lower self-efficacy. The study advances theoretical understanding of resource substitution mechanisms and provides actionable guidance for optimizing limited organizational resources in educational settings.