The Relationship between S-OJT Participants' Trainer Expertise and Output of Transfer Behavior in Korean Small and Medium Sized Enterprises - A Moderated Mediation Model of Trainer-Trainee Exchange with Learning Agility

Abstract

With the recent up-rise of the concerns on reforming Koreas education and social structure to reduce its flaw - the increase on the number of young, unemployed people with higher education degrees and of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) that are closing down due to the lack of profit - government of Korea launched various programs and reforms for helping job seekers as well as SMEs. One of the projects that have had its course of progression is called Work and Learning Dual System, which was initially launched in 2013. It supports enterprises that seeks governmental support for workforce development by helping them on setting up and operating vocational education and training programs for potential employees. Under the structured format, on-the-job training (OJT) and off-the-job training (Off-JT) is provided to the potential employees, and then based on the training performance review, formal employment is proceeded. S-OJT is guided by the program for the SMEs to provide to the participants for their OJT in the workplace. With the theoretical basis from the attributional model of Steiner, Dobbins, and Trahan (1991), this study aimed to look into the impact of trainers competency as an instructor to the trainees transfer of training. Also, this study found a mediating role of the trainer-trainee exchange on the impact of trainers expertise to the trainees transfer of training. The study also looked into the moderating effect of trainees learning agility on the mediation effect of trainer-trainee exchange, as it may inform a possible positive moderation due to the trainees agility of understanding and adopting new knowledge and skills provided through the training. Data were collected for the pilot test during the March 20th to March 27th, 2017. This was done through email and online surveys. 58 participants data were collected. After neglecting two outliers, 56 participants data were used for the reliability and validity tests on the pilot test. After the reliability and validity tests done with the data collected through pre-survey, main survey was continued. Both pre and main surveys were distributed to the participants of S-OJT in SMEs that are supported by the Work and Learning Dual System program. Main survey was done from March 28th to April 21st, 2017. 390 participants responded the survey through email and online distribution of the survey, and 7 data were discarded as outliers. Therefore, total of 383 data were used for the study, which is suitable to be a representing a target population of 36,426 (Krejcie & Morgan, 1970). As a result, 1) the overall mean score of the responses were within the range of 3.52 to 3.91, indicating that they were generally over the neutral. Highest was the trainee learning agility (3.91) which may be is explainable as all of the questions are hard to respond lower than neutral (Derue, Ashford, & Myers, 2012)

2) although various tests were done to seek if there are any difference of the output of transfer behavior based on the general characteristics of the participants, the study was unable to show significance to the influence of the general characteristics

3) trainer expertise holds high accounts towards the trainees output of transfer behavior

4) a close relationship between the trainer and the trainee with the indication that the outcome was more heavily caused by the expertise of the trainer

5) the learning agility does play a role in the context of S-OJT and the relationship between the trainer and the trainee, and there was a moderation effect between trainer expertise and the trainer-trainee exchange in a significant level

6) the moderated mediation of the trainer-trainee exchange with learning agility as a moderator illustrates both the role of the learning agility as well as the trainer expertise on the ending output of the S-OJT practice. Therefore, the implications for this research is as follows: first, to improve the overall transfer of OJT in SMEs, companies should provide necessary intervention for the development of trainer expertise, trainer-trainee exchange, and the trainee learning agility. Through the analysis, the study has found a subjective amount of effect held by trainer expertise and trainer-trainee exchange on the output of transfer behavior

second, if the focus on the improvement of trainer expertise cannot be met, try focusing on the shaping the culture and the atmosphere of the organization so that the training held within the workplace can be influenced by the environment

third, LMX has various literatures that looks closely into the relationship with the turnover intention and the organizational commitment

fourth, there is a need for the use of subjective research instrument for the learning agility

fifth, although the current study contained no significant effect of general characteristics on the output of transfer behavior, further studies on the transfer or the transfer behavior from the S-OJT should look closely into various characteristics especially of the degree of education, types of industries, duration of the training program, and so on

sixth, this study focused on the SMEs in Korea, however, studies on the large corporates as well as the comparative study is suggested to see the difference of trainers expertise as a trainer and not only as a senior worker

seventh, although this study used model 7 of PROCESS by Hayes (2013) that looks closely into the moderated mediation, model 6 with two mediators and model 8 with additional moderation effect on direct effect of independent variable to dependent variable is recommended as a model to be discussed in the future studies

and last, the major setback of this research is that the SMEs were the participants of the Work and Learning Dual System program, which is not primarily focused on providing S-OJT to the SMEs but to provide workers the opportunity to learn and work with support, thus it would be better to find different target population for sampling to make sure the proper S-OJT is held in the participatory companies.