Influence of supervisor, self-efficacy, learning style and intention to transfer training effectiveness among universities in Saudi Arabia

The role of training for the improvement of employees' skills and knowledge has long been acknowledged. Employees who are exposed to effective training generally possess the technical knowledge, skills and attitudes to carry out their tasks. In Saudi Arabia, the
government has been investing generously in training so as to enhance the employees‘
knowledge and skills. However, the present human capital, particularly in the tertiary
institutions, falls way below expectations. The theoretical framework of this study was
developed based on past research and the underpinning theory of planned behavior and
social learning. This study examined the direct and indirect relationship between self-efficacy,
learning style and supervisor support on intention to transfer training and training
effectiveness among the managerial staff of the universities in Saudi Arabia. A total of
364 managerial staff representing six public universities in Saudi Arabia participated in the
study by completing the survey questionnaire. The Partial Least Squares (PLS-SEM) approach was utilized to test the hypotheses. The results for the direct relationships between the independent variables (self-efficacy, learning style, supervisor support) and the dependent variable (training effectiveness) show that only learning style directly influences training effectiveness. At the same time, it was found that all the independent
variables significantly influence the mediator, that is, intention to transfer training.
Regarding the indirect relations between the independent variables and the dependent
variable when the mediating variable was incorporated into the relationship, it was found
that intention to transfer training partially mediated the relationship between learning
style and training effectiveness but not self-efficacy and supervisor support. The
theoretical contributions, policy implications, limitations of the study and suggestions for
future research were discussed as well.