Psychological capital and training transfer motivation: the role of pre–training positive affect

As training and development, along with continuous learning has become an important aspect of work, the effectiveness of the transfer of knowledge, skills and behaviours to the workplace has been questioned. A meta-analysis of training transfer has called to move beyond contextual constraints to evaluate the psychological traits and states that impact training transfer motivation. The emerging field of Positive Organisational Behaviour and the development of the positive higher order state, Psychological Capital, presents an opportunity to meet calls to evaluate psychological traits and states in relation to training transfer motivation. Enrolees in training courses in an Australian Registered Training Organisation formed the research sample to investigate the relationship between pre-training transfer motivation and positive psychological states using the higher order construct of Psychological Capital and its primary constructs hope, optimism, resilience and self-efficacy. The trainees either self-enrolled or were enrolled by their employing organisation or as part of their obligations as part of the labour market program for unemployed. Although the research finds a positive relationship between Psychological Capital and training transfer motivation, one of its primary constructs, optimism, has a stronger relationship with training transfer motivation than the combined construct of Psychological Capital. This is explained theoretically because optimism contains an element of anticipation of future positive outcomes and training transfer motivation theory is based on the expectancy of future outcomes to apply the training in the workplace. The finding that optimism has a stronger relationship with pre-training motivation than other well researched states such as self-efficacy is a unique contribution to training transfer motivation research and has important practical and policy implications, including the development of pre-training interventions to enhance positive psychological states in labour market programs for unemployed persons.