The Effect of Organizational Learning Culture on Training Effectiveness: The Mediating Role of Informal Learning

This study investigates why organizational learning culture matters for training effectiveness by examining the mediating role of informal learning. Using data from the second wave of the Human Capital Corporate Panel (HCCP) collected in 2023, responses from 1,528 employees were analyzed through structural equation modeling. The results show that organizational learning culture has a significant positive effect on both informal learning and training effectiveness. Informal learning also exerts a significant positive effect on training effectiveness and partially mediates the relationship between learning culture and training effectiveness. Importantly, the total effect of learning culture on training effectiveness exceeds its direct effect, indicating that learning culture enhances training outcomes primarily by activating informal learning processes within organizations. These findings suggest that training effectiveness is not determined solely by formal training programs, but is largely shaped by organizational learning environments and everyday learning interactions. The study contributes to human resource development research by clarifying the contextual mechanism through which learning culture translates training inputs into meaningful performance outcomes.