Do workers respond differently to learning from supervisors and colleagues? A study of job resources, learning sources and employee wellbeing in China

Abstract

This study examines two sources of workplace learning (via supervisors and via colleagues) as potential mediators accounting for the effects of social support and training on employee wellbeing. Analysis of survey data from 279 Chinese workers reveals that they react to the two sources of learning differently, possibly as a consequence of a high-power-distance culture. Learning from supervisors is the only significant mediator in the relationships between social support and training, on the one hand, and employee wellbeing (physical health, work engagement and job satisfaction), on the other. This demonstrates that different forms of workplace learning can have different antecedents and consequences, and suggests that the supervisor-employee dyad is particularly important for work-related learning in China. The study shows that a learning-based mediation process contributes to job-resources-to-wellbeing relationships, and should be factored into future theorization in the job demands-resources (JD-R) framework.

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