As organizations face a rapidly changing marketing environment, they have an increased investment in training programs that aim to improve employees’ hard skills to successfully execute tasks and soft skills for healthy social relationships. Although managers question the transfer problem in hard- and soft-skills training, researchers have limited knowledge on this topic. This study focuses on improving the initial training transfer, an essential phase of the transfer process. Specifically, drawing on signaling theory, we introduce training characteristics (i.e., training content validity and transfer design) as the antecedents. This study also assesses the potential underlying mechanisms by examining the roles of training engagement and training criticality. Using a sample of 182 employees enrolled in a typical hard- and soft-skills training program (i.e., quality management training), we test a mediation model. As expected, the results indicate that both training content validity and transfer design positively impact initial training transfer. Furthermore, the links between training characteristics and initial training transfer are mediated by training engagement and training criticality. This study contributes to the research on initial training transfer by exploring training characteristics as the antecedents and integrating the research on transfer and personal attitudes under hard- and soft-skills training.

随着组织面临快速变化的营销环境，他们增加了对培训计划的投资，旨在提高员工成功执行任务的硬技能和建立健康社会关系的软技能。尽管管理者质疑硬技能和软技能培训中的转移问题，但研究人员对此主题的了解有限。本研究的重点是改善初始训练迁移，这是迁移过程的重要阶段。具体来说，借鉴信号理论，我们引入训练特征（即训练内容有效性和迁移设计）作为前因。本研究还通过检查培训参与和培训关键性的作用来评估潜在的潜在机制。使用参加典型硬技能和软技能培训计划（即质量管理培训）的 182 名员工的样本，我们测试了一个中介模型。正如预期的那样，结果表明培训内容有效性和迁移设计都对初始培训迁移产生了积极影响。此外，培训特征和初始培训转移之间的联系受培训参与度和培训关键性的调节。本研究通过探索培训特征作为前因，并结合硬技能和软技能培训下的迁移和个人态度的研究，为初始培训迁移的研究做出了贡献。结果表明，培训内容有效性和迁移设计都对初始培训迁移产生了积极影响。此外，培训特征和初始培训转移之间的联系受培训参与度和培训关键性的调节。本研究通过探索培训特征作为前因，并结合硬技能和软技能培训下的迁移和个人态度的研究，为初始培训迁移的研究做出了贡献。结果表明，培训内容有效性和迁移设计都对初始培训迁移产生了积极影响。此外，培训特征和初始培训转移之间的联系受培训参与度和培训关键性的调节。本研究通过探索培训特征作为前因，并结合硬技能和软技能培训下的迁移和个人态度的研究，为初始培训迁移的研究做出了贡献。