The line manager factor: analyzing antecedents of employee perceptions of T&D effectiveness

This study applied the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model to investigate two key antecedents of employee perceptions of training and development (T&D) implementation effectiveness: task resources, represented by line managers’ ability, motivation, and opportunity (AMO) to perform T&D duties; and interpersonal resources, operationalized through employees’ perceptions of leader-member exchange (LMX) quality. Moreover, the study examines the interaction between these tasks and interpersonal resources in shaping employees’ satisfaction with T&D implementation. Using multilevel data from matched call center supervisors (N = 61) and their team members (N = 452) across 15 call center organizations in the Philippines, the findings reveal that among the AMO variables, only line managers’ ability had a significant direct effect on T&D implementation effectiveness. Furthermore, high-quality LMX relationships were positively associated with employees’ perceptions of their line managers’ T&D effectiveness. Importantly, the interaction effects between line managers’ ability and LMX, as well as between opportunity and LMX, highlight the complementary role of task and interpersonal resources in influencing employee satisfaction with T&D implementation. This research advances the literature by integrating JD-R theory to explore the dual resource contributions of line managers in T&D contexts, offering nuanced insights into how task performance and relational quality jointly enhance perceptions of T&D effectiveness.