Personality Traits and Training Initiation Process: Intention, Planning, and Action Initiation

Abstract

The article aims at investigating the role of personality traits in relation to training initiation. Training initiation is conceptualized as a goal realization process, and explained using goal theories. There are three stages of the process analyzed: intention to undertake training, plan formulation, and actual training undertaking. Two studies tested the relationships between five personality traits, defined according to the five factor model, and the stages of the goal realization process. In Study 1, which explains training intention and training plans’ formulation, 155 employees participated. In Study 2, which was time-lagged with two measurement points, and which explains intention, plans, and training actions undertaken, the data from 176 employees was collected at 3 month intervals. The results of these studies show that personality traits, mainly openness to experience, predict the training initiation process to some degree: intention, plans, and actual action initiation. The findings allow us to provide recommendations for practitioners responsible for human resource development. The assessment of openness to experience in employees helps predict their motivation to participate in training activities. To increase training motivation it is vital to strengthen intentions to undertake training, and to encourage training action planning.

Personality, Job Resources, and Self-Efficacy as Predictors of Volunteer Engagement in Non-Governmental Organizations

“…Personality traits are basic personal characteristics that might play a prominent role in engagement in volunteer activity. The traits included into the Big Five personality model: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism (as the opposite of emotional stability), and openness to experience (Goldberg, 1992;Gosling, Rentfrow & Swann, 2003) are frequently studied in paid work contexts (e.g., Kim, Shin, & Swanger, 2009;Laguna & Purc, 2016;Langelaan, Bakker, Doornen, & Schaufeli, 2006). Despite this, to date, there is limited evidence on the relationships between engagement and each of the five personality traits.…”

Motivation and training initiation: evidence from Poland

“…Individuals who perceive training as not valuable for them, who are not convinced that it can bring the desired consequences or who feel not capable enough (Deci and Ryan, 2000a) to complete the training do not form strong training intention. Other research shows, however, that without strong intention, action is hardly ever initiated (Armitage and Conner, 2001;Laguna and Purc, 2016). These findings help explain how the lack of motivation functions at different stages preceding training initiation.…”

“…Participation in training may be treated as purposive behavior that is not a single act but a process of goal realization (Laguna and Purc, 2016;Łaguna et al, 2015). Undertaking and finishing training may be a goal that stimulates action initiation and guides an individual's activity for a specific period.…”

“…Undertaking and finishing training may be a goal that stimulates action initiation and guides an individual's activity for a specific period. There is evidence that, despite having a desire to start an activity, people quite often do not initiate it and resign from achieving a goal (Laguna and Purc, 2016;Łaguna et al, 2015). This suggests that goal realization comprises several phases and it is possible to stop in each of them.…”

“…There is a large amount of studies investigating how the effects of training influence individual and organizational performance (a review of research in Tharenou et al, 2007;Tracey et al, 2001), as well as what factors boost employees' transfer of new knowledge (a review of research in Cheng and Ho, 2001;Franke and Felfe, 2012;Peters et al, 2014). However, there is scarce evidence concerning what personal and organizational characteristics are involved in the decision to participate in training (Laguna and Purc, 2016;Rowold, 2007;Salas and Cannon-Bowers, 2001). As a result, only one meta-analysis concerning the essential variables underlying training motivation has been published so far (Colquitt et al, 2000).…”