Lost in Transfer? On the Negative Effect of Job Dissatisfaction on Training Transfer and How to Neutralize It.

Description

The presented study analyzes the role of job dissatisfaction, motivation to transfer and outcome expectations in the training transfer process. Job dissatisfaction is known to derogate the organizational context in many different ways. In view of the alarmingly high percentage of transfer failure (~ 70%, Saks, 2002), a similar negative effect on the willingness to participate in and learn from a job-training program to on various other work-related variables, is assumed. We propose that under certain conditions, that is if participants are motivated to transfer and if their learning and transferring is rewarded with positive outcomes, this negative effect might be diminished. To test our assumptions, 671 participants (46 % female, Mage = 33.59, SDage = 9.42), of different training programs provided by a national institute of further education filled in an online questionnaire. As expected, results of hierarchical regression analysis indicate a negative effect of job dissatisfaction on training transfer. Moderator analyses show that the negative effect was buffered by an individual’s transfer motivation as well as by positive outcome expectations. The more motivated a person was to transfer, the less negative the effect of job dissatisfaction on actual transfer was. In addition it appeared that the effect of motivation to transfer depended on the outcomes a person expected from the transfer. Only if a person expected positive consequences from transfer, such as acknowledgement or reward, high motivation to transfer could buffer the negative effect of job dissatisfaction on training transfer. Our study suggests that by taking the right measures, an organization might still profit from training even if employees are currently dissatisfied. Although there certainly is a destructive side of job dissatisfaction, our results show that dissatisfaction might have a constructive side as well.

Period	27 May 2011
Event title	European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology Congress
Event type	Conference
Location	NetherlandsShow on map