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10/23/12 Malay sia: Research and Practice in Human Resource Management

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RESEARCH AND PRACTICEIN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Hu a , N. K., A h m a d, R. & Ism a il, A . (2 01 1 ). Th e Im pa ct of th e Su per v isor s Role in Tr a in in g Pr og r a m m eson th e Tr a n sfer of Tr a in in g : A Ca se Stu dy in Fou r Ea st Ma la y sia n Loca l Gov er n m en ts, Research andPractice in Human Resource Management, 1 9 (2 ), 2 4 -4 2 .

The Impact of the Supervisors Role in Training

Programmes on the Transfer of Training: A Case Study in

Four East Malaysian Local GovernmentsNg Kueh Hua, Rusli Ahm ad & Azm an Ism ail

ABSTRACT

The Malaysian public sector plays a key role in the government's

vision to enhance the economic status, assist the growth of industrial

and private sectors, and support the country's human capital needs.

Extant studies advocated that a supervisor plays an important role

in enhancing the transfer of training among employees, and

although the nature of this relationship has been studied, it is has

been given less attention especially in the context of the Malaysian

public sector. Hence, this study attempted to rectify the lack of

literature by investigating the relationship between a supervisor's

role in training programmes, and the transfer of training in four

East Malaysian local governments. Indepth interviews were

conducted with a total of 12 employees to develop the self report

questionnaire, and a pilot study was conducted with the

participation of 60 employees to pre test the questionnaire. The

questionnaire was then used to gather quantitative data from 1100

management and non management employees working in the

administrative and technical divisions for hypotheses testing.

Pearson correlation analysis showed a positive and significant

relationship between supervisor's role in training programmes and

the transfer of training. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated

among the studied variables, supervisor communication acted as a

dominant factor in enhancing the transfer of training. These

findings have implications for human resource management (HRM)

policies and practices by detailing guidelines to improve

organisational remuneration system as well as pathways for

enhancing the role of supervisors in training programmes in order

to facilitate the transfer of training, particularly within the

Malaysian public sector.

INTRODUCTION

Human resource scholars advocate that superv isors have important roles that can determine the

success of training programmes (Glitten 2001, Nijman, Vognum & Veldkamp 2006). That is, a proper

administration and implementation of training programmes by superv isors could ensure return on

investment for training (Cheng & Ho 2001, Chen, Sok & Sok 2007 ). Traditionally , superv isors have



often focused on operational activ ities (Adair 1988). Hence, the responsibility of superv isors has

centred on identify ing employ ees daily and short term skill deficiencies in performing their job and

reporting any problems to the management (Adair 1988, Pfeffer 1998). The management often take

further actions by conducting training needs analy sis, designing and implementing training courses,

and evaluating the training programmes to overcome such employ ees skills deficiencies (Berge,

Verneil, Berge, Davis & Smith 2002).

In the era of global competition, contemporary management is v iewing training and development as

a tool to enhance employ ees career development and meet organisational strategic goals (Robbins &

Coulter 2005). As a result, superv isors regularly work with top management, training managers, and

trainers in designing and administering as well as implementing training programmes (Martins 2007 ,

Ismail, Bakar & Bongogoh 2008). With respect to the design of training programmes, superv isors

have long been empowered in assessing the needs of training, identify training objectives, developing

training contents, and choosing appropriate training delivery techniques (Adair 1988). In training

administration, superv isors are responsible to organise training, evaluate the training effectiveness

and to prov ide opportunities for employ ees to grow. This activ ity is done by encouraging staff to

attend relevant training programmes by creating an open and trusting climate that may facilitate the

development of employ ees and consulting frequently with these people about the objectives and

methods of improving their job performance (Huang 2001). In the implementation of training

programmes, superv isors are required to augment the training by practical interventions such as on

the job training to employ ees.

Extant research shows that the ability of superv isors to properly implement their role in training

programmes may lead to a higher degree of the transfer of training (Smith-Jentsch, Salas & Brannick

2001, Gumuseli & Ergin 2002, Arthur, Bennett, Edens & Bell 2003). Within the framework of training

programmes, many scholars advocate that the extent to which factors such as support,

communication, and assignment decisions prov ided by superv isors may elevate the employ ees

level of transferring the training(Smith-Jentsch, et al. 2001, Gumuseli & Ergin 2002, Hashim,

Mohamad, Saemi, Ahmad & Rashid 2009).

The objective of this paper is to explore the relationship between the superv isors role in training

programmes and the the transfer of training. Particularly , the main aim of this paper is to examine

the effects of superv isors in prov iding support, communication and assignment decisions on the

level of the transfer of training among employ ees in four local governments of East Malay sia.

Additionally , this paper identifies the dominant superv isors role in predicting the transfer of

training. This paper also rev iews the training literature by detailing the constructs under

investigation as well as prov iding empirical and theoretical support for the relationship between the

superv isors role in training programmes and the transfer of training. Then discussed are the

research gaps in the transfer of training, which motivated the authors to explore the nature of the

superv isors role and the transfer of training with a conceptual framework and research hy potheses.

The paper outlines the research methodology , which is followed by the results, a discussion and a

concluding section succinctly advancing implications and consequences for HRM policies in

contemporary organisations.

LITERATURE REVIEW

It is broadly known that the transfer of training is of utmost important to increase performance and

return on investment to an organisation. In the literature it is generally agreed that the transfer of

training is a multidimensional construct, and in the context of training, the transfer of training is the

extent to which an indiv idual is able to repeat behaviour learned from training programmes in new

situations (Foxon 1993, Subedi 2004). To be precise, it is the ability of employ ees to effectively

apply , adapt and reproduce the knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSA) gained from training

programmes into a job environment (Baldwin & Ford 1988, Wexley & Latham 2001). Research

interest on this issue has been growing since Baldwin and Ford (1988) proposed a comprehensive

model to explore factors affecting the transfer of training. In the model they hy pothesised trainee

characteristics, training design and work environment as important antecedents for the transfer of

training.



training.

Trainee characteristics are div ided into ability related factors, motivation related factors and

personality related factors that have an impact on the transfer of training (Elangovan & Karakowsky

1999). Ev idence that a trainee characteristic is related to the transfer of training has been

demonstrated by Facteau, Dobbins, Russell, Ladd and Kudisch (1995), and Chiaburu and Tekleab

(2005) found that employ ees can be motivated to attend and apply what they have learned from

training. In addition to trainee characteristics, training design factors include the principle of

learning, sequencing and the training content, which is much influenced by the classical learning

theories. According to Baldwin and Ford (1988), work environmental factors, which include

superv isor support and opportunity to apply training into the job (Elangovan & Karakowsky 1999),

have been the least examined variables due to the lack of a robust research framework. Despite the

relevant emerging research Elangovan and Karakowsky (1999), and Subedi (2004) urge that there is

a need to identify the important superv isors roles and behaviours that are v ital to facilitate

employ ees in apply ing training into the job.

Supervisor Support

Prev ious research has shown that superv isor support is an important factor that can facilitate the

transfer of training (Subedi 2004). Many researchers (e.g., Facteau, et al. 1995, Chiaburu & Tekleab

2005, Switzer, Nagy & Mullins 2005) have generally , agreed that superv isor support is one of the

important factors that effect the transfer of training, which can be div ided into emotional and

instrumental support (Baldwin & Ford 1988). Specifically , superv isors prov ide emotional support in

terms of encouragement to attend and learn in training programmes, and they may reinforce and

facilitate employ ees to apply newly acquired KSA into the job (Rahman 2004, Merriam & Leahy

2005, Switzer, et al. 2005). On the other hand, instrumental support is specifically referring to the

ability of the superv isors to maximise the similarity between training programmes and workplace

situations (Elangovan & Karakowsky 1999, Wexley & Latham 2001). Support may be prov ided to

employ ees in different times such as before, during and after training programmes (Subedi 2004,

Nijman, et al. 2006). With adequate superv isor support, employ ees are likely to have better

preparation and time to apply training into the job (Gumuseli & Ergin 2002).

Su perv isor Su pport a n d t h e T ra n sfer of T ra in in g

There have been local and more geographical dispersed studies on superv isor support. These studies

were conducted on different samples and settings, such as the 120 respondents serv ing in various

Ministries located in the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajay a, Malay sia (Haslinda &

Mahy uddin 2009); 131 employ ees who attended occupational health and safety training

programmes in an organisation in Germany (Festner & Gruber 2008); 81 employ ees from 15 sister

companies of a Korean conglomerate (Lim & Morris 2006);and 130 employ ees of Tenaga Nasional

Berhad Johor Bahru area, who have attended technical training programmes held between 2001 to

2004 located at the Sultan Ahmad Shah Training Institute (ILSAS), Bangi, Selangor, Malay sia

(Rahman 2004). Results of these studies advocated that superv isor support had increased the

transfer of training. That is, the ability of superv isors to prov ide support such as encouragement to

attend training, guidance on how to apply training, and sufficient opportunities and time to apply

training was able to motivate employ ees to apply training onto the job. According to these studies it

was found that when employ ees received such support from superv isors they had more chances,

clearer direction and adequate time to learn how to make use of the training in the workplace. This in

turn resulted in better job performance and work attitudes.

Supervisor Communication

In addition to support, research has indicated that communication between superv isors and

employ ees is v ital in facilitating the transfer of training (Velada, Caetano, Michel, Ly ons & Kavanagh

2007 , Hashim, et al. 2009, Ismail, Mohamed & Sulaiman 2010). In an organisational setting,

superv isors communicate with employ ees by practising open discussion and prov iding feedback

(Harris, Simon & Bone 2000, Sisson 2001). Open discussion can be seen as superv isors who prov ide



realistic information about training programmes in order to increase employ ees preparations for

training (Tai 2006). Open discussion prov ides employ ees with the opportunity to prov ide input and

raise questions related to training to overcome any obstacles that may prevent them from learning

new KSA (Robbins & DeCenzo 2006). Moreover, superv isors can prov ide feedback about the quality

of the employ ees performance (London & Smither 2002). Feedback from superv isors could prov ide

information about the ty pe, extent and direction of errors to employ ees so it can be corrected in the

future (Forza and Salvador 2000). This may rouse employ ees to set higher goals and invoke greater

effort to apply training outcomes (London & Smither 2002). When employ ees have more

preparation for training and receive adequate information on their performance they are assisted tolearn and apply knowledge into the job (Gumuseli & Ergin 2002).

Su perv isor Com m u n ica t ion a n d t h e T ra n sfer of T ra in in g

Prev ious studies have directly examined the effect of superv isor communication and the transfer of

training from different samples and settings. For instance, the 110 employ ees who had participated

in training programmes in a state public work agency in Sarawak, Malay sia (Ismail, et al. 2010), 90

employ ees from public and private sectors who have attended Dual National Training Sy stem course

in Malay sia (Hashim, et al. 2009), 182 employ ees from a large grocery organisation in Portugal

(Velada, et al. 2007 ), and 10 Korean human resource practitioners who attended a training

programme that addressed performance improvement technology in Korea (Lim 2000). These

studies concluded that communication play ed an important role in enhancing the transfer of

training. The extent to which superv isors practised open communication such as prov iding feedback

and information of training programmes significantly elevated the transfer of training. In an open

communication, employ ees were prov ided with detailed information about training programmes

beforehand, which prepared them to learn from the training programmes. After the training

commenced, a series of feedback was given to employ ees that assisted them in improving their KSA.

These methods enhanced their ability to the transfer of training into the job that resulted in

increased job performance.

Supervisor Assignment Decisions

Although research on assignment decisions is relatively scarce, several studies have suggested this

knowledge is influential in promoting the transfer of training (Baldwin & Magjuka 1991, Baldwin,

Magjuka & Loher 1991, Tai 2006). Assignment decisions can be in the form of superv isors assigning

employ ees to attend voluntary or mandatory training programmes. Specifically , voluntary training

refers to the employ ees choices to attend or not to attend training programmes (Tsai & Tai 2003,

Saks & Belcourt 2006), and employ ees tend to show more enthusiasm and commitment when they

have the choice of attendance. This condition is because employ ees feel that the choice and option

given to them are fair (Quinones 1997 ). While mandatory training assignment refers to compulsory

training programmes whereby employ ees had no choice, but to attend and learn from the training

programmes (Baldwin & Magjuka 1991, Tsai & Tai 2003, Machin & Treloar 2004). Baldwin and

Magjuka (1991,) and Tsai and Tai (2003) argue that employ ees have high motivation and are able to

achieve the transfer of training when they are mandated to attend training programmes by

superv isors. This result is due to employ ees who perceived training as important and bring desired

outcomes whenever superv isors decide to mandate the attendance of training programmes (Baldwin

& Magjuka 1991, Tsai & Tai 2003).

In addition to training attendance modes employ ees have the option to select the content of training

programmes according to their needs and/ or preferences (Baldwin, et al. 1991, Quinones 1997 ,

Muchinsky 2008). That is, employ ees are either given the opportunities or prohibited by

superv isors from contributing requests and suggestions regarding future training contents (Baldwin,

et al. 1991, Quinones 1997 , Guerrero & Sire 2001, Machin 2004). Baldwin, et al. (1991) argue that

although employ ees are allowed to choose training that they wanted, their motivation to the transfer

training would be decreases if superv isors do not fulfil their choice of training. This implies that in

addition to the training attendance mode, employ ees participation in decision making regarding

training programmes exert an t impact on the transfer of training.



Rela t ion sh ip bet ween Su perv isor A ssign m en t Decision s a n d t h e T ra n sfer of T ra in in g

A limited number of studies that directly examine superv isor assignment decisions have been

undertaken. Two studies that directly examined superv isor assignment decisions were undertaken in

North America. One study was undertaken with 150 members of a large training and development

society in Canada (Saks & Belcourt 2006), and a second investigation was conducted with 7 85 human

resource professionals from the Society for HRM in the United States (Ry nes & Rosen 1995). These

studies reported that the ability of superv isors in determining appropriate training assignment

(voluntary and mandatory ) had enhanced the transfer of training. It is likely employ ees more

successfully the transferred training into the job because with appropriate training assignment, they

tended to be more motivated to attend and learn from training programmes.

Supervisors Role in the Transfer of Training

Mertons self fulfilling prophecy conceptualises the importance of behavioural mechanism through

which an indiv iduals expectancy affects another indiv idual (McShane & Von Glinow 2005). The

application of this theory in a training model shows that superv isors who expect employ ees to the

transfer training into the job tend to create a positive work climate (e.g., supportive treatment,

frequent communication and more opportunities for employ ees to prov ide input in training

decisions) (McShane & Von Glinow 2005). Consequently , employ ees learn more from training, have

more opportunities and time to practise what they learned from training, received frequent

performance feedback as well as benefited from training programmes that they wanted to attend

(Campbell & Simpson 1992, Campbell 1997 ).

Skinners reinforcement theory articulates that an indiv idual has a choice in selecting a given

responses and often he or she will choose a response that is associated with positive outcomes in the

past (Huitt & Hummel 1997 ). The application of this theory in a training context shows superv isors

can prov ide positive support, performance feedback and training assignments when employ ees

successfully applied training. When employ ees acknowledged that every successful application of

training is followed by positive reinforcement, they are more likely to practise harder into the job

what they learned from training (Lim & Morris 2006, Saks & Belcourt 2006, Festner & Gruber 2008,

Haslinda & Mahy uddin 2009).

RESEARCH GAPS

A range of studies have been done in this area with regard to the role of superv isors in training

programmes and its impact on the transfer of training (Elangovan & Karakowsky 1999, Cheng & Ho

2001, Subedi 2004). Nevertheless, there are gaps in the relevant theoretical, methodological and

practical literature.

Theoretical Gaps

The role of superv isors in training programmes has been given limited attention because prev ious

studies often emphasised on the effects of training design factors and indiv idual factors on the

transfer of training (Baldwin & Ford 1988, Elangovan & Karakowsky 1999, Velada, et al. 2007 ). In

other words, the predictive role of superv isors role in training programmes has been given less

attention due a primary focus on training design factors (e.g., relevancy of instructional methods)

and trainees characteristics (e.g., motivational levels) in influencing the transfer of training. Despite

this situation there have been a growing number of studies on superv isors roles since Baldwin and

Ford (1988) advocated the importance of such factors in the transfer of training. But more effort is

needed in order to reach a fuller understanding about the impact on the transfer of training (Cheng &

Ho 2001, Burke & Huchins 2007 ). Research on the transfer of training is critical particularly in the

context of Malay sian public sector, where studies on this particular issue are relatively lacking

(Baharim 2008). Additionally , prev ious studies have not prov ided consistent results on the

relationship between superv isors role in training programmes and the transfer of training (Chiaburu

& Tekleab, 2005). Several studies have found positive and significant effect of the superv isors role in



training programmes on the transfer of training (e.g., Velada, et al. 2007 , Festner & Gruber 2008,

Haslinda & Mahy uddin 2009). But other investigations have found weak or no significant ev idence of

such relationships (e.g., Chiaburu & Marinova 2005, Nijman, et al. 2006). The mixed findings

prompt further assessments in various contexts to further determine the nature of such

relationships.

Methodological Gaps

Past studies that often used students and/ or conducted under laboratory conditions limit the

ecological validity of research findings (Cheng & Ho 2001, Klein, Noe & Wang 2006, Stansfield &

Longenecker 2006). Cheng and Ho (2001), and Sekaran (2003) argue that data collected from

students and/ or under laboratory conditions is significantly different from the data gathered from

organisational personnel. Another concern is related to the lack of well adapted and validated

research instrument to measure the transfer of training due to the lack of research attention on the

transfer of training in the Malay sian public sector (Baharim 2008). Research instruments that are not

well adapted and properly validated could lead to bias and decrease goodness of data (Cresswell

1998). As a result, this could lead to the lack of a comprehensive understanding about the effect of

superv isors role in training programmes, and in aparticular on the transfer of training in business

settings.

Practical Gaps

Prev ious studies have not prov ided sufficient ev idence to be used as guidelines by human resource

practitioners in enhancing employ ees training and development activ ities and to achieve

organisational goals (Subedi 2004, Vuuren, de Jong & Sey del 2007 ). Consequently , questions have

arisen in terms of the ability of superv isors in facilitating the transfer of training and return on

investment (Foxon 1993, Short 1997 ). For instance, the reinforcement of new KSA by superv isors in

Malay sian local governments is a challenging task due to the fact that employ ees come from different

background and motivational levels (Ali 1997 ). This outcome has caused Malay sian likely

governments to be criticised by national leaders and the public. Indeed employ ees from the local

governments have been unable to substantially improve their KSA even though they had gone for

many ty pes of in house and overseas training programmes (Lim 2006).

Conceptual Framework

The empirical and theoretical ev idence presented in the earlier sections has been used as a

foundation to propose a conceptual model for this study as shown in Figure 1 .

Figure 1

Conceptual Fram ework

Research Hypotheses

Alternative hy potheses were used because there is a strong empirical and theoretical support that

advocated the positive relationship between a superv isors role in the training programmes and the

transfer of training. Based on the literature rev iew and conceptual framework Figure 1 was

developed. Within Figure 1 four main hy potheses are delineated.



developed. Within Figure 1 four main hy potheses are delineated.

Hypothesis 1: Supervisor support positively affects the transfer of training.

Hypothesis 2: Supervisor communication positively affects the transfer of training.

Hypothesis 3: Supervisor assignment decisions positively affect the transfer of training.

Hypothesis 4: There is a dominant supervisors role that positively affects the transfer of

training.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Respondents and Site

The authors obtained official authorisation to conduct a study from four city based local

governments located at Sabah and Sarawak, Malay sia. The respondents of this study were

management and non management employ ees who were working in administrative and technical

div isions. A total of 1100 questionnaires were distributed and 7 06 usable questionnaires were

returned, y ielding a 64 per cent of response rate.

The respondents demographic background is shown in Table 1 . The majority respondents were male,

and most were aged between 30 to 49 y ears old. A large number (51 .4 per cent) of respondents held

the Malay sia Certificate of Education. Over on quarter (25.2 per cent) of the respondents served for

their organisation for more than 21 y ears. The biggest group or 90.9 percent of respondents were

non management employ ees. A majority or 62.9 per cent of respondents worked in administrative

div isions.

Table 1Respondent profiles

GenderMale 53.4

Female 46.6

Age (years)

Less than 20 0.6

20 to 29 21.1

30 to 39 32.7

40 to 49 34.3

More than 50 11.3

Level of education

LCE/ SRP/ PMR 18.6

MCE/ SPM 51.4

Diploma/ STPM 20.4

Bachelor Degree 7.9

Masters Degree 1.1

Others 0.6

Length of service (years)

Less than 1 7.1

1 to 5 20.0

6 to 10 11.0

11 to 15 17.3

16 to 20 18.6

More than 21 25.1

Category of positionManagement group 9.1

Non management group 90.9

DivisionAdministrative division 62.9

Technical division 37.1



Note. SRP/LCE/PMR = Sijil Rendah Pelajaran/Lower Certificate of Education/ Penilaian Menengah

Rendah, SPM/MCE + Sijil Pelajaran Malay sia/ Malay sian Certificate of Education, and STPM = Sijil

Tinggi Pelajaran Malay sia/ Malay sian Higher School Certificate

Procedure

A cross sectional study was utilised to collect data from the respondents at a single point of time.

This design was suitable due to its ability to collect a large number of respondents from different

organisations (Easterby -Smith, Thorpe & Lowe 2002, Sekaran 2003) with quantitative processes,

and elucidate the responses with qualitative procedures. The quantitative and qualitative processes

were mixed within the design and employ ed at appropriate times. A quantitative method in the form

of a self report questionnaire was chosen to collect data for both a pilot study and the actual study .

The quantitative method in the form of self report questionnaire was able to reduce bias because

questions are uniformly presented and the respondents answers were not influenced by the authors

opinion. The mechanism allows respondents to answer the questionnaire in their personal timetable

(Sekaran 2003, Kothari 2008). This procedure is in accordance with the positiv ism research model,

where observations of the world must be carried out objectively and bias should be removed as

much as possible (Marlow 2010). Qualitative methods in the form of indepth interv iews and

discussions were conducted to assist the authors in understanding the nature of the studied variables

in the organisations and to assist the authors in developing unbiased research instrument for this

study . According to Burgess (1982: 107 ), an indepth interv iew is an important qualitative method

because it brings the opportunity for the researcher to probe deeply to uncover new clues, open

up new dimensions of a problem and secure v iv id, accurate inclusive accounts that are based on

personal experience.. This is in line with phenomenological research model, which stress on an

indiv iduals subjective v iews and experiences of the world (Rubin & Babbie 2010).

Qu a lit a t iv e Met h od

The first phase of this study was a qualitative method v ia an indepth interv iew. The main purpose of

conducting the indepth interv iew was to gather qualitative information on how each of the

respondents constructed the meanings of the variables under investigation (Easterby -Smith, et al.

2002). This assisted the authors in developing a suitable research instrument for the study . A

purposive sampling technique was utilised to identify six personnel that have vast knowledge and

experiences about training programmes and the roles of superv isors in the organisations. This

sampling technique was utilised to identify these employ ees because information gathered from

them assisted the authors in comprehending the nature of the studied variables in the organisations.

The findings from the indepth interv iews were compared to the relevant training literature in order

to integrate the research results in an appropriate context, and the results of the triangulated

information were presented in a content analy sis table in order to clearly understand the particular

phenomena under study . Then, the authors modified the research instrument from prev ious

research according to the information gathered from the indepth interv iews, and once the

instrument (i.e., self report questionnaire) was developed the next phase was the validation of the

self report questionnaire.

In the second phase of the qualitative method, the authors conducted a discussion on the self report

questionnaire. Qualitative feedback in the form of discussion can be used in establishing and

improving the validity of research instruments (Rubio, Berg-Weger, Tebb, Lee & Rauch 2003,

ODonnell, Lufney , Marceau & McKinlay 2006). Hence, the purpose of the discussion was to gather

feedback from the respondents about the items in the questionnaire. Again, a purposive sampling

technique was utilised to identify the six employ ees who had extensive working experience as the

respondents. Rubio, et al. (2003) argue that employ ees from the studied organisations should be

selected for the discussion to ensure the population for whom the questionnaire is being developed is

represented. Consequently , during the discussion the respondents were asked about the relevancy of

items, which is useful in validating the questionnaire (Rubio, et al 2003, ODonnell, et al. 2006).

Items that were deemed irrelevant were rev ised or omitted from the self report questionnaire. After

the discussion was conducted the authors refined the self report questionnaire and began the

quantitative phase.



quantitative phase.

Qu a n t it a t iv e Met h od

The third phase of the study involved a quantitative method, which was the distribution of a total of

60 self report questionnaires for pilot testing. The rationale of pilot testing the self report

questionnaire was to pre test the questionnaire (Baker 1999) so that the items were easily

understood by the respondents, detect obv ious problems regarding the length and sequencing of

questions, avoid sensitive questions, and ensure the data produced by the questionnaire was

possible to be analy sed (Easterby -Smith, et al. 2002, Cooper & Schindler 2006). A total of 60 self

report questionnaires were distributed to the employ ees working in administrative and technical

div isions and 30 usable questionnaires were returned, y ielding a 50 percent of response rate.

Assessing the pilot study responses gave the Cronbach alpha for the variables of 1) support (0.99), 2)

communication (0.96), 3) assignment decisions (0.96), and 4) the transfer of training (0.98),

signify ing that the research instrument met the acceptable standards of reliability (Kline 2000,

Fraenkel & Wallen 2006). After the completion of pilot study , the self report questionnaire was

deemed robust for the actual study .

The fourth and final phase of this study was the actual study where distribution of self report

questionnaires was conducted in the studied organisations. Due to the organisations policy that

treated employ ees information as strictly confidential, the authors could not access the employ ees

name list for random sampling. In non probability sampling, Salkind (2010) recommends that a

researcher should choose a sample size as large as possible in vary ing settings to increase the

statistical power for hy pothesis testing and to increase the representativeness of the sample.

Therefore, a convenience sampling technique was utilised to distribute 1100 self report

questionnaires to management and non management employ ees from administrative and technical

div isions v ia contact persons (i.e., human resource manager, secretary or assistant of human

resource manager, secretary of department heads and superv isors) in four local governments. The

self report questionnaires were answered by the respondents based on their consent and on

voluntary basis. The data collected from the self report questionnaire was used for data analy sis to

test the research hy potheses.

Measures

Back translation technique was utilised to translate the survey questionnaire in Malay and English to

increase the validity and reliability of the research instrument (Wright 1996). Adaptation of research

instrument was required because the population in this study was different from the original

population in which the instrument was developed, in terms of country , culture, and language

(Geisinger 1994, Davis 1996). The adaptation was performed by modify ing existing scales based on

the information gathered from indepth interv iew. This was necessary to reflect the nature of

superv isors roles and the transfer of training from the local governments in the final self report

questionnaire. Each variable were measured using a seven point Likert scale ranging from Strongly

disagree (1) to Strongly agree (7 ). A Likert scale it was deemed to be a reliable mechanism that

prov ided more details than other scales because respondents can answer each statement included in

the instrument and the authors can identify the different response prov ided by each respondent

(Kothari 2008).

The survey questionnaire had four sections to measure the studied variables. The first section had

nine items that measured superv isor support. All items were modified from prev ious research

(Holton, Bates & Ruona 2000, Guerrero & Sire 2001, Ay res 2005, Chiaburu & Tekleab 2005). The

dimensions used to measure superv isor support were the extent to which superv isors encourage

employ ees to attend training, encourage employ ees to apply training, and encourage employ ees to

share what they learned from training. The examples of the items include Superv isor recommends

me to attend training programmes that he or she felt useful for my job and Superv isor allocates the

required resources (e.g., assignment, tools, materials) for me to put into practise what I have learned

from training programmes..

The second section of the questionnaire had nine items that measured superv isor communication,



which were adapted from prev ious research (Machin & Fogarty 1998, Wexley & Latham 2001, Tsai &

Tai 2003, Ismail, et al. 2008). Superv isor communication was measured by the ability of superv isors

to prov ide detailed and accurate information of training, prov ide feedback to employ ees and convey

the benefits of attending training. The questions included Superv isor gives detailed information

about training programmes and Superv isor prov ides feedback about the way I apply what I have

learned from training programmes..

The third section of the survey instrument was superv isor assignment decision. This section had nine

items modified from prev ious research (Guerrero & Sire 2001). The dimensions used to measure

assignment decisions were the ability of superv isors to decide the mode of training attendance (i.e.,

voluntary or mandatory ) and to seek employ ees input for future training. Two examples of these

items were Superv isor gives me the freedom to attend training programmes and Superv isor enrols

my name in training programmes..

In the transfer of training section, it consisted of nine items that were modified from prev ious

research (Facteau, et al. 1995, Chiaburu & Tekleab 2005, Switzer, et al. 2005). The transfer of

training was measured through the ability of employ ees to apply training onto the job, adapt what

they learned in workplace, know the appropriate situation to apply training, know the appropriate

time to apply training and have confidence in apply ing training onto the job. Examples of the

questions in this section were I effectively use what I have learned from training programmes onto

my job and I have changed my work behaviour in order to be consistent with the materials taught

in training programmes.

Table 2 shows the results of the validity and reliability tests for the research instrument. Based on

Costello and Osborne (2005), Ford, MacCallum and Tait (1986), and Hair, Black, Babin, Anderson

and Tatham (2006), of the psy chometric assessment guidelines, these statistical analy ses showed

that the items for each research variables exceeded the factor loadings of 0.40 which indicated

that all the studied variables have met the acceptable standard of validity analy sis. All studied

variables exceeded the acceptable standard of KMO value of 0.60 and were significant in Bartletts

test of sphericity , and all research variables have exceeded an acceptable standard eigenvalue of 1 .0.

Furthermore, all the studied variables exceeded the Cronbach alpha value of 0.7 0, indicating that

the variables met the acceptable standard of reliability analy sis (Kline 2000, Fraenkel & Wallen

2006). The results of these statistical analy ses demonstrated that the research instrument employ ed

in this study was robust, reliable, and therefore, the scales were considered fit to be used in data

collection for hy potheses testing.

Table 2Result of validity and reliability analyses for research instrument

Variables Items #Factors

1 2 3 4

Support

2 0.86 -0.10 0.11 0.09

4 0.96 0.50 -0.40 0.10

5 0.74 0.00 0.02 -0.20

6 0.60 -0.50 0.16 -0.14

7 0.80 0.04 -0.03 -0.12

8 0.64 0.06 0.04 -0.18

9 0.50 0.03 0.09 -0.28

Communication

1 -0.04 -0.03 0.05 -0.95

2 -0.05 0.02 0.04 -0.94

3 0.02 0.04 0.05 -0.86

4 0.20 0.08 0.00 -0.74

5 0.25 0.07 -0.02 -0.67

7 0.20 0.05 0.02 -0.53



Kaiser Mayer Olkin 0.91 0.90 0.89 0.95

Bartletts Test of Sphericity3819.97,p = 0.000

4845.98,p = 0.000

4513.56,p = 0.000

6112.46,p = 0.000

Eigenvalue 5.00 4.95 5.14 6.72

Variance explained 71.45 82.50 73.47 74.63

Cronbachs Alpha 0.93 0.96 0.94 0.96

Assignment decisions

1 -0.07 0.04 0.88 0.03

2 -0.01 -0.20 0.91 0.01

3 0.11 0.08 0.52 -0.11

6 0.01 0.00 0.89 0.03

7 -0.05 -0.01 0.92 -0.04

8 0.08 0.01 0.79 -0.05

9 0.10 -0.00 0.82 -0.01

The transfer of training

1 0.04 0.80 -0.07 -0.10

2 0.05 0.83 -0.04 -0.07

3 0.01 0.87 -0.02 -0.00

4 0.01 0.89 0.01 0.02

5 -0.02 0.90 0.00 0.02

6 0.02 0.88 0.04 0.06

7 -0.08 0.88 0.04 -0.04

8 -0.03 0.88 0.02 0.02

9 0.01 0.83 0.04 0.07

Analysis

The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17 .0 was used to analy se the construct

validity and reliability , and subsequently test the research hy potheses. Explanatory factor analy sis

was used to determine the validity of the research instrument (Hair, et al. 2006). Exploratory factor

analy sis can be used when a researcher validates a newly developed research instrument (Costello &

Osborne 2005) or adapts a prev iously used research instrument in the current research settings

(Conway & Huffcutt 2003). A factor analy sis with Direct Oblimin rotation was performed on all items

in every variable under investigation (Frankael & Wallen 2006). Oblique rotation can accurately

represent the complexity of the studied variables because in reality constructs are commonly

correlated to each other (Conway & Huffcutt 2003). The items used in this study were considered

valid if the value of factor loading is 0.40 or greater (Ford, et al. 1986, Hair, et al. 2006).

After factor analy sis was performed both the Kaiser May er Olkin test (KMO) and the Bartlett test of

sphericity were conducted for each variable to determine a sampling adequacy . KMO was performed

to determine the sufficiency of sample size in this study (Rasli 2006). Bartletts test of sphericity was

used to examine whether or not an R matrix is significant enough to be worthy of factor analy sis

(Child 2006). Sampling adequacy of the variables were accepted if the value of KMO analy sis was

0.60 or greater and Bartletts test of sphericity was large and significant (Coakes & Steed 2003, Rasli

2006). This procedure was followed by estimating the Cronbach alpha to determine the reliability of

each variable in the research instrument (Coakes & Steed 2003). The reliability of research

instrument is acceptable if the alpha value is between 0.7 0 and 1 .0 (Kline 2000, Fraenkel & Wallen

2006).

Pearson correlation analy sis is able to measure the degree of association and the relationship

between two constructs (Coakes & Steed 2003). In this study the procedure was used to test the

correlation between the superv isors role in training programmes and the transfer of training.

Pearson correlation analy sis was also used to examine the data free from multicollinearity error that



could reduce the accuracy of results derived from multiple regression analy sis (Hair, et al. 2006).

Apart from the Pearson correlation, the data were analy sed by multiple regression analy sis due to its

ability to quantify the magnitude and direction of multiple independent variables on one dependent

variable (Aiken & West 1991, Foster, Stine & Waterman 2001). This study specifically employ ed

multiple regression analy sis to delineate the most critical factor that contributed to the transfer of

training in the studied organisations.

RESULTS

The result of the analy sis of the constructs was shown in Table 3. The correlation coefficients for the

relationship between the independent variables (i.e., support, communication and assignment

decisions), and the dependent variable (i.e., the transfer of training) were less than 0.90. The result

suggested that the data were free from serious multicollinearity issue (Hair, et al. 2006). Therefore, it

was deemed appropriate to run multiple regression analy sis.

Table 3Results for correlation matrix of research variables

Variable Mean Standard deviation 1 2 3

1. Support 5.25 1.15

2. Communication 5.18 1.26 0.86**

3. Assignment decisions 4.73 1.33 0.69** 0.72**

4. Transfer of training 5.63 0.90 0.45** 0.47** 0.43**

Note. Correlation value ** is significant at the 0.01 level (2 tailed).

Supervisors Role in Training Programmes and The transfer of Training

The result of Pearson correlation analy sis was shown in Table 3. The analy sis demonstrated that

superv isor support (r = 0.45, p < 0.01), communication (r = 0.47 , p < 0.01), and assignment

decisions (r = 0.43, p < 0.01) were positively and significantly correlated with the transfer of

training. Overall, this study found support for the relationship between superv isors role in training

programmes and the transfer of training in the studied organisations. The result indicated that the

extent to which superv isors prov ide sufficient support, practise communication openness and

perform appropriate decisions about training assignments had elevated employ ees ability in

apply ing training onto the job.

Dominant Supervisors Role that Influence transfer of Training

Table 4 demonstrated the result of multiple regression analy sis. The analy ses indicated that support,

communication, and assignment decisions were significantly correlated with the transfer of training.

Communication ( = 0.23, p = 0.001) had a strong impact on the transfer of training, as well as

assignment decisions ( = 0.17 , p < 0.001) and support ( = 0.14, p < 0.05); respectively .

Accordingly , superv isors role in terms of communication substantially contributed to the transfer

of training in the examined organisational settings.

Table 4Result of multiple regression analysis

Independent variables Standardised coefficients (Beta) p

article1-jan2015 from dr saman

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