Mechanisms Enabling Individual Learning: A moderated mediation model

Abstract

Abstract Purpose – Present study examines if the relationship of learning orientation with individual learning is mediated by individual reflexivity, followed by an exploration of the possible moderating relationship participative leadership can have on this model. The study aims to identify the mechanisms enabling people to become more reflective on their skills and work by investigating whether learning orientation facilitates individual reflexivity which, in turn, leads to the change-oriented behaviour in individual learning. Design and method – Data was collected through a questionnaire consisting of existing scales for each of the measured constructs. The questionnaire was conducted among people in the Netherlands, above the age of 18 that worked at least 20 hours at a paid job. The hypothesized moderated mediation model was tested using multiple linear regression and Hayes’ PROCESS-macro (2017). Findings – The significant results suggest that when people have learning orientation, their ability to learn individually increases. There is also a positive relationship found between learning orientation and individual reflexivity, which suggests that people who have learning orientation also use reflexivity. The last finding suggests that people who have learning orientation learn more individually because they use individual reflexivity. Therefore, in the studied model, there is a significant mediating role for individual reflexivity. There is no significant result found for the moderating relationship that participative leadership was expected to have on the relationship between learning orientation and individual reflexivity. Nor are there significant results found supporting that the indirect relationship between learning orientation and individual learning via individual reflexivity is moderated by participative leadership. Originality – This study contributes to the knowledge about and adds proof for the relationship between learning orientation and individual learning. It also gives supporting evidence to the relationship between learning orientation and individual reflexivity, a relationship that has not been examined properly before. This research lastly contributes to the field of science by exploring the possible mediating role of individual reflexivity.