Conceptualising the antecedents of employee intentions to transfer training to the job : an application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour in health education institutions

• Main Author: Al Rakhyoot, Awatif
• Published: University of Strathclyde 2017
• Subjects: 658.3
• Online Access: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.725157

The study explores training transfer by utilising a socio-cognitive psychological theory, the theory of planned behaviour (Ajzen, 1991), to provide an understanding of the antecedents of participants’ training transfer intention and behaviour. This theory claims that predictors of transfer can impact employees’ transfer intention and behaviour through directly influencing their attitudes towards transfer, perceptions of subjective norms and their perceived behavioural control. The empirical study gathers data from the perspective of faculty members and their supervisors within health education institutions in Oman. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a total of 95 faculty members and their supervisors in two Health Institutes. The analysis explored participants’ perceptions of training transfer within their Institutions and the factors that shaped their perceptions of subjective norms, perceived behaviour control and their attitudes towards training transfer. The findings show that participants perceived opportunity to use trained skills in the workplace as an important factor to influence their transfer. Supervisors are the main referent group perceived to influence participants’ transfer behaviour. Findings also show that recognition and resistance contributed towards participants’ attitudes towards training transfer. The theoretical contribution of the study is bridging the gap of understanding the training transfer process at the individual level by offering a holistic insight on training transfer behaviour within a specific context utilising the theory of planned behaviour. The study also has practical implications for organisations to plan and manage their training and transfer interventions to positively influence trainees’ intention to transfer.