PurposeThe present study aims to revalidate a measurement scale for organizational learning capability in the context of university faculty members. This is a particularly relevant context because it deals with knowledge‐intensive services. Following Chiva et al., organizational learning capability was conceptualized as a second factor construct including five dimensions: experimentation, risk taking, interaction with the external environment, dialogue and participative decision making.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from the Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, a leading university in Costa Rica. The survey was addressed to faculty members. A total of 795 valid questionnaires were obtained. Using confirmatory factor analysis, the construct measurement model was tested and the scale was validated.FindingsThe results show the internal consistency and the satisfactory factorial structure of the scale within the context of knowledge‐intensive services.Originality/valueThis validation of organizational learning capability measurement instruments has considered cultural differences (Spain vs Costa Rica), sectorial differences (industrial vs services), and the different educational background distribution of the sample. Another contribution of our study is the consideration of the non‐independence of observations through the complex Mplus method, since the samples in human resource research are affected by multilevel influences.

As many academics have pointed out, while researchers have learned a great deal about the effects of contingent reward (CR) leader behaviour, relatively little is known about its genesis. CR transactional leadership is traditionally viewed as an independent variable which exerts influence downstream. However, if we are to understand how to influence, improve or modify these downstream effects, we need to shift our focus upstream towards the study of transactional leadership as a dependent variable. In line with this reasoning, we put forward the hypothesis that a contextual variable (organizational learning capability) and a subordinate's characteristic (employability) are antecedents of CR transactional leader behaviour. These original relationships will be empirically assessed, alongside the well documented relationship between CR leader behaviour and a worker's individual performance. Our hypothesis was tested on a sample of 795 professors from 70 university departments, using structural equation methodology.