Effect of Self-Efficacy and Instrumentality Beliefs on Training Implementation Behaviors: Testing the Moderating Effect of Organizational Climate

Abstract

This study examines the individual and work-related factors that can affect the transfer of training processes. Specifically, our study focuses on organizational, individual, and training-related factors that can affect learning transfer in public service organizations. Based on a survey of public sector employees, our findings indicate that instrumentality/utility and self-efficacy beliefs are significant predictors of training implementation behaviors. Furthermore, organizational flexibility and feedback dimensions of organizational climate interact with trainees’ cognitions (instrumentality and self-efficacy) and positively affect training implementation behaviors. Our findings provide important insights that pave the way to extend our current understanding of training transfer processes in public organizations. This study adds to the literature by unpacking instrumentality—an understudied but key element of Vroom’s valence–instrumentality–expectancy framework—as an important predictor of training implementation behaviors among public sector employees.