Linking training with competitive strategy: the mediating role of human capital

Abstract This study evaluates the mediating role of human capital in the relationship between training and competitive strategy implementation. It provides a novel contribution to strategic human resource management literature by exploring mechanisms linking training with competitive strategies. The Resource‐Based View of the firm and Miles and Snow's opposite strategies are used herein to connect training, human capital, and competitive strategy. Hypotheses about human capital's mediating role in the relationships between training and prospector and defender strategies, respectively, were proposed and empirically tested in 245 large Colombian industrial companies by structural equation modeling. This study found that human capital mediates the relationship between training and competitive strategies. In practical terms, training facilitates competitive strategy implementation via human capital improvement.