Employee engagement: an examination of antecedent and outcome variablesAbstractThis correlational study (n = 283) examined links between job fit, affective commitment, psychological climate, & employee engagement, & the dependent variables, discretionary effort, and intention to turnover. An Internet-based survey battery of six scales was administered to a heterogeneous sampling of organizations from service, technology, healthcare, retail, banking, nonprofit, and hospitality fields. Hypotheses were tested through correlational and hierarchical regression analytic procedures. Job fit, affective commitment, and psychological climate were all significantly related to employee engagement, while employee engagement was significantly related to both discretionary effort and intention to turnover. For the discretionary effort model, the hierarchical regression analysis results suggested that the employees who reported experiencing a positive psychological climate were more likely to report higher levels of discretionary effort. As for the intention to turnover model, the hierarchical regression analysis results revealed that affective commitment and employee engagement predicted lower levels of employees' intention to turnover. The combination of predictors demonstrated strong effects in that the independent variables in each model predicted at least 38.0% of the variance in the dependent variable. Implications for human resource development research and practice are highlighted as possible strategic leverage points for creating conditions that facilitate the development of employee engagement as a means for improving organizational performance.

Employee development & organizational performance: a review of literature & directions for future researchAbstractThis review of literature examines the relationship between employee development and organizational performance. The research supports the commonly held belief that employee development programs make positive contributions to organizational performance. However, there continues to be limited information beyond this basic relationship. From an HRD perspective, research on employee development seems an area of high importance. Employee development means more than helping employees become continuous learners, regardless of the requirements of the organization. To be beneficial for both individual employees and organizations, research on employee development should seek greater understanding about the wide range of conditions within which employee development programs exist in organizations. Undertaking the three proposed research directions would do much for improving organizational performance in the long term.

Line managers and workplace learning: Learning from the voluntary sectorAbstractThis paper explores the interface between the workplace as a site of learning and the behaviors of developmental managers, those who develop self, staff and peers. The paper provides a brief literature review, outlines the research methodology utilized, and presents and discusses findings from empirical research in the voluntary sector. It is hoped that the findings will enhance understanding of the role of voluntary sector managers in supporting workplace learning. The paper provides guidance to policy makers and voluntary organizations about how to support the development of people-development skills, which ultimately affect the effective performance of voluntary organizations. It is also intended that the lessons learned from this research will be of benefit beyond the voluntary sector.

Workplace learning environment & its relationship with learning outcomes in healthcare organizationsAbstractIncreasingly the importance of developing an appropriate learning environment in order to foster workplace learning is dominating organizational agendas. Yet much of the literature often lacks empirical support to underpin those conditions suggested as comprising an effective learning climate or suffers conceptually from failing to specify more clearly the nature of workplace learning. As a result, it is difficult to explain how or why differing aspects of an organization's learning environment should influence particular learning outcomes. Findings presented here demonstrate that (1) a supportive training and development infrastructure, (2) empowerment and effective communication, (3) opportunities for reflection and job challenge and (4) opportunities for formal and informal learning are associated with different types of learning outcomes associated with either workplace learning or training. The results suggest that, dependent on the types of learning outcomes desired by organizations, different aspects of the workplace environment are likely to be important in fostering an effective learning climate.

Challenges facing women leaders in Saudi ArabiaAbstractAs a result of increasing enrolment of women in all levels of education and various fields of employment and aspects of public life in Saudi Arabia, the last 10 years witnessed a growing participation of women in senior management positions and in the decision-making process in public and private sectors. Recent developments indicate a clear strategic direction of policy makers and development plans in Saudi Arabia towards an even greater role for women in public life and into top leadership positions in public domains. In spite of the considerable role of women in Saudi society, evidence suggests that women in leadership positions are facing a different reality from their male counterparts due to organizational, personal and cultural challenges that impede their effectiveness as leaders. Through a survey of 160 women leaders, this article attempts to identify the challenges that women leaders face in government sectors in Saudi Arabia. Findings indicate that the main challenges are: structural challenges, lack of resources and lack of empowerment, while cultural and personal challenges ranked last, contrary to common perception. The study ultimately provides a set of recommendations with implications for

leadership development in general, in order to address challenges that women leaders face and enhance their leadership role.

Comparison of the influences of structured on-the-job training and classroom training approaches on trainees’ motivation to learnAbstractIncreasing trainees’ learning motivation is critical to help them perform well in the training programme. This paper aims to examine the influences of the structured on-the-job training (S-OJT) and classroom training approaches on trainees’ learning motivation and learning performance. An exploratory study was conducted with 90 students from a vocational school located at the Yunlin County in the Midwest of Taiwan who enrolled in a course entitled ‘hair coloring’. The training modules for S-OJT and classroom training were developed and delivered in the training courses. The survey was administered prior to and after the training courses to assess the influences of the training approaches. It was found that the trainees who received S-OJT generated higher learning motivation and learning performance compared with those who received the classroom training. Moreover, the trainees with lower initial learning motivation were motivated more and generated higher learning performance after receiving S-OJT. This study provides the potential theoretical and practical implications and can serve as reference when choosing the training approach for a designed training programme.

The use of a personal development plan and the undertaking of learning activities, expertise-growth, flexibility and performance: the role of supporting assessment conditionsAbstractIn the current search for tools that encourage and assess learning and development, personal development plans (PDPs) are being used ever more frequently by organizations. A PDP is an assessment tool used by the employee to reflect on, to document the competencies s/he has been working on and to present his/her plans for further development. This study conducted among employees working in a governmental organization in the Netherlands (N = 287) focused on the PDP practice as conceptualized by three supporting conditions: learning and reflection, information and feedback and the motivating supervisor. It examined which of these features enhance the undertaking of learning activities, expertise-growth, flexibility towards changing circumstances and performance. Results from the hierarchical regression analyses indicate that a motivating supervisor, information and feedback and reflection by the employee on the basis of his/her PDP affect whether or not a PDP contributes to the four measured output variables. Next, by conducting mediation analyses evidence is found for the mediating role of undertaking learning activities in the relation between the PDP practice and two output variables.

Turnover intention: the effects of core self-evaluations, proactive personality, perceived organizational support, developmental feedback, and job complexityAbstractDespite extensive examination of predictors for turnover and turnover intention, most studies have focused on attitudinal and behavioral aspects of individual employees. Based on a study of knowledge workers in a Korean conglomerate, we investigated the effects of personal (i.e. core self-evaluations and proactive personality) and contextual factors (i.e. perceived organizational support, developmental feedback, and job complexity) on turnover intention. There were modestly negative but significant correlations between the contextual factors and turnover intention. In addition, core self-evaluations were found to be negatively related to turnover intention. Managers and human resource development professionals could play a pivotal role in retention of these knowledge workers by building better practices related to organizational culture, providing job redesign, and engaging in other employee developmental practices such as coaching.

Gender Discrimination and Work Engagement: Moderating Role of Future Time PerspectiveAbstractThis article examines the contribution of perceived gender discrimination to work engagement; the contribution of future time perspective (FTP) to work engagement and more importantly, the moderating role of FTP on the relationship between perceived gender discrimination and work engagement. Based on a social cognitive frame work, it was hypothesized that FTP is positively related to work engagement. Further, it was also expected that FTP would work as a compensatory motivational resource and weaken the negative relationship between gender discrimination and work engagement. These questions were examined using a sample of female employees working in textile and apparel companies in the Chennai and Puducherry regions of India (N = 234). Results indicate that FTP has a positive relationship with physical, cognitive as well as emotional engagement of the respondents. It also moderates significantly the relationship between perceived gender discrimination and cognitive as well as emotional dimensions of work engagement. However, no significant moderating effect appears for the relationship between gender discrimination and physical engagement of these employees.

Employee creativity: the effects of perceived learning culture, leader–member exchange quality, job autonomy, and proactivelyAbstractThis study investigates the impact of perceived learning culture, leader–member exchange (LMX) quality, job autonomy, and proactively on employee creativity for knowledge workers in five Korean firms. Overall, the four predictors and control variables explained 57% of the variance in self-rated creativity and 14% of the variance in manager-rated employee creativity. Whereas proactively was a stronger antecedent for self-rated employee creativity than the contextual factors, the contextual factors (i.e., learning culture, LMX quality, and job autonomy) explained manager-rated creativity better than proactively did. The relationship between self-rated and manager-rated employee creativity was positive and significant,

but modest (r = .24). Owing to the so-called initiative paradox, proactive employees who believe themselves to be more creative may not always be welcome by their managers in the Korean cultural context that is characterized as collectivistic, high in power distance, and high in uncertainty avoidance.

Leveraging employer branding, performance management and human resource development to enhance employee retentionAbstractGlobal economic recovery from years of depressed growth has accelerated voluntary turnover, along with employer concerns about retention. More employers are also promoting from within their ranks, and this has put growing emphasis on HRD and career-development initiatives. This article argues that the biggest winners in this emerging economic environment, at least from a talent perspective, are organizations with positive employer brands, performance management strategies that help employees develop expertise that maximizes their potential, and innovative approaches to the design and delivery of HRD initiatives, especially technology-delivered instruction (e.g., mobile and virtual applications, simulations, MOOCs) and social-learning tools (e.g., wikis, communities of practice, social media). These strategies are by no means exhaustive, but they are three key elements of employee retention.

The relationship between training outsourcing and employee commitment to organizationAbstractIn many countries, the human resource practice of training outsourcing has emerged as one of the fastest growing segments of the broader business process outsourcing industry. In spite of the growing popularity in professional practice, training outsourcing continues to be subjected to critical review and ongoing debate with most attention focused on the decision to ‘outsource’ or ‘not to outsource’. However, there exists a shortage of research on training outsourcing as a human resource development (HRD) practice and the potential relationships with desired organizational outcomes including employee commitment. This exploratory international study extends previous research that has examined the relationship between training and organizational commitment by focusing exclusively on outsourced training. Data were collected from information technology firms in two countries: India and the United States. Results showed positive relationships between specific measures of employee perceptions of quality, usefulness and supervisor support for outsourced training with organizational commitment. Recommendations are made for future research as well as for professional practice to guide HRD practitioners involved in the rapidly growing global practice of training outsourcing.

Creating an organizational culture of innovation: case studies of Japanese multinational companies in ThailandAbstractThe purpose of this study is to examine the predominant factors that lead to being an innovative organization from the employees’ perspective in Japanese multinational companies (MNCs) in Thailand. The study employed qualitative case study approach utilizing semi-structured interviews and a focus group, and involved nine participants from five different Japanese MNCs operating in Thailand. The study found that learning and development, participative decision-making, communication and tolerance towards conflict and risks, kaizen (continuous improvement) and leadership were the main factors in promoting innovation in organizations.