Leader-Follower Ratings of Employer-Provided Training: Moderating Effects of Mandatory Participation

Abstract

The previous literature on the positive relationship between training and attitudinal outcomes has paid little attention to a group leader’s perception of training and the different natures of voluntary and mandatory participation in training. To deal with these research gaps, this study examines the effects of leader-follower (in)congruence in ratings of employer-provided training on followers’ job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Also, I test the moderating effects of mandatory participation in training on the relationship between leader-follower (in)congruence in ratings of training and follower’s two attitudinal outcomes. Using multilevel polynomial regression models, I analyzed a sample of 861 employees and their group leaders from the Human Capital Corporate Panel (HCCP) survey in 2017. The results overall supported my hypotheses; (1) a leader-follower congruence in ratings of employer-provided training at a high level is associated with higher attitudinal outcomes than that at a low level, (2) a follower’s higher rating than that of the leader is related to high attitudinal outcomes, and (3) mandatory participation in training moderates those relationships between leader-follower (in)congruence in ratings of the training and attitudinal outcomes. I discuss the implications of these findings.