The Effects of Proactive Personality, Collectivism, and Conscientiousness on Training Motivation

Given the growing value placed on personal initiative at work, increasingly diverse workforce, and mixed conclusions about trainee conscientiousness, it is imperative to examine how trainee proactive personality, collectivism, and conscientiousness influence motivation to learn and subsequent transfer intentions during training. I propose a conditional, indirect process model where proactive personality interacts with collectivism and conscientiousness to influence transfer intentions partially through their effects on motivation to learn. Integrating the “Initiative Paradox” (Campbell, 2000) and motivation-based, resource-based, and trait theories, I predict that the positive relationship between trainee proactive personality and training motivation variables is enhanced by their collectivism and hindered by their conscientiousness. Results of analyses on data collected from a culturally diverse sample of engineers were largely consistent with my arguments showing that trainee proactive personality had a positive effect on transfer intentions partially through motivation to learn and that this relationship is buffered by conscientiousness. However, support for the hypothesized bolstering effect of trainee collectivism was not found. Ultimately, several practical and research implications are suggested serving to grow our understanding of the importance of trainee differences for successful training transfer.