Trainee versus supervisor assessment of training transfer: mediational analysis of transfer variables

Abstract

This study investigated the mediating relationships among an organizational variable (supervisory support), three trainee characteristics (self-efficacy, expected utility, and learning motivation), a training design variable (content relevance), and training transfer perceived by both the trainees and the supervisors in South Korean organizational setting. Data analysis indicated that course relevance mediated the relationships between the study variables for both the trainee's and the supervisor's assessment of training transfer. Based on the study findings, training transfer is considered a multiphasic process including many factors interacting simultaneously rather than a linear influential process. For practical implications, content relevance and expected utility were identified as critical factors to enable training transfer in the workplace, which could be controlled and developed by training designers. Also, supervisory support should be carefully controlled to reduce its negative effect on training transfer.