A new path to training transfer: Transformational trainers and psychologically empowered training participants

Abstract

Successful training transfer is necessary for employees to adapt to this fast‐changing working world. In this study, we investigate whether transformational trainer behaviour can inspire training participants to change their self‐concept during training and whether this is related to increased training transfer. Following the self‐concept based theory, we examine the relationship between transformational trainer behaviour and training transfer, mediated by psychological empowerment. Moreover, we test a cross‐level interaction such that the indirect effect varies based on the number of participants per training group. We conducted a two‐wave study with 373 training participants in 58 training groups. Multilevel moderated mediation analysis showed that the training participants’ psychological empowerment mediated the positive relationship between transformational trainer behaviour and training transfer two months later. However, this indirect effect was not moderated by the number of participants per group. These results add to the discourse on the importance of trainers for training transfer and offer a new perspective on training as changing the participants’ self‐concept.

Training value, employee internal states and training transfer: examining the web of relationships

“…The absence of a relationship between training value and training transfer is obviously because psychological empowerment and motivation to transfer are needed to play mediating roles. The findings on motivation to transfer and its relationship with training transfer and employee engagement as well as psychological empowerment and its relationship with motivation to transfer, employee engagement and training transfer are similar to the findings by Bhatti et al (2013), Na-nan et al (2017, Na-nan and Sanamthong (2020), Jose and Mampilly (2014), Bansal and Thakur (2013), Gong et al (2020), Meng and Sun (2019), Shah et al (2019), Sharma and Garg (2017) and Creon and Schermuly (2020). Similar to the finding of Salamon et al (2022b), the employee engagement and training transfer relationship was not in line with the assertion of Nafukho et al (2017).…”

“…The finding of Richter and Kauffeld is supported to some extent as motivation to transfer played a partial mediating role in that study unlike what we found in this paper. Psychological empowerment also plays the same mediating role as motivation to transfer in the relationship between training value and training transfer confirming the assertions of Menon (2001) and Creon and Schermuly (2020). Despite the stance of Salamon et al (2022b) and Nafukho et al (2017), employee engagement did not have a mediating effect in this study.…”

“…Concerning employee engagement, the literature (Jose & Mampilly, 2014;Bansal & Thakur, 2013;Gong et al, 2020;Meng & Sun, 2019;Shah et al, 2019;Sharma & Garg, 2017) have established that it is predicted by psychological empowerment. Furthermore, Bansal and Thakur (2013) discovered that psychological empowerment predicts training transfer and is supported by Creon and Schermuly (2020). Similarly, Ha and Vanaphuti (2022) in their study established that training transfer is dependent on the psychological state of trainees.…”

“…In this regard, a case could be made for employee psychological empowerment acting as a mediator between training value and training transfer as training value and training transfer are empowering acts and employee outcomes respectively. More so, the relationship between trainer behavior and training transfer is found to be mediated by psychological empowerment (Creon & Schermuly, 2020). Also, motivation to transfer for example is revealed as a mediator in several training transfer theoretical frameworks according to Seiberling and Kauffeld (2017).…”

Transfer of sustainability training in land and conservation agriculture project: A behavioral study in Iran

“…Dixit and Sinha (2022) showed that the effectiveness and efficiency of training transfer tools were strongly correlated and enabled the workplace application of skills and knowledge. Creon and Schermuly (2022) revealed that the training individuals' psychological empowerment mediated the positive relationship between transformational trainer behavior and training transfer. Kalule et al (2019) stated that perceived value of content mediated extension agents' supervision support in predicting farmers' intention to apply what they had learned during extension training programs.…”