Personality Attributes as Predictors of the Effectiveness of Organizational Training

Organizational training is an important issue in the workplace; however, not all training accomplishes what is expected by organization management. This study aims to explore the possible personal antecedents of successful training transfer (i.e. one index of training effectiveness which measures the extent to which a trainee utilizes what they learn in their job) and its impact in trainees’ feelings about the meaning of work (i.e. finding a purpose in work that is greater than the extrinsic outcomes of the work). A sample of full-time employees in Taiwan (N =104) all participated in a work training program twice within two years. The training procedure followed the typical process: lecture and task practice. Analyses of the results showed that trainees’ conscientiousness positively predicts training transfer, but trainees’ openness or extraversion did not result in a significant effect on training transfer. Also, training transfer positively relates to trainees’ perceived meaning of work. In short, the effectiveness of organizational training is influenced by trainees’ self-disciplined and traits related to a sense of duty, which then brings a positive effect on workers’ perceptions about their work values.