Attitudinal and motivational antecedents of participation in voluntary employee development activities

Citation

(2009), "Attitudinal and motivational antecedents of participation in voluntary employee development activities", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 23 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/dlo.2009.08123fad.003

Attitudinal and motivational antecedents of participation in voluntary employee development activities

Article Type: Abstracts From: Development and Learning in Organizations, Volume 23, Issue 6

Hurtz G.M., Williams K.J.Journal of Applied Psychology (USA), May 2009, Vol. 94 No. 3, Start page: 635, No. of pages: 19

Purpose – Identifies the factors that encourage employees’ participation in voluntary employee development activities. Design/methodology/approach – Highlights how employee development has been recognized as a source of possible company competitive advantage; puts forward how many of the development programmes rely on the willing participation of employees. Drawing on the theory of reasoned action, develops a theoretical model comprised of a number of antecedents thought to encourage employees to pursue these activities in a proactive manner and to participate and learn from them. Outlines how the model distinguished between general attitudes towards participation and expectancy (outcome); tests the model in four US organizations. Findings – Reports how the most significant effect on participation rates resulted from the recognized availability of the activities; reveals how intentions to participate also impacted on actual future participation. Puts forward how reactions to past participation was found to have a strong impact on shaping attitudes towards future activities while perceived control had no role in enhancing participation. Research limitations/implications – Identifies limitations and areas for future research. Originality/value – Adopts a multidimensional approach towards the measurement of major constructs. Article Type: Research paper ISSN: 0021-9010 Reference: 38AN122

Keywords: Employee attitudes, Employees development, Learning