Upskilling and efficiency: How technology training drives productivity in Indian banks

Purpose This study examines the relationship between information technology training (ITT) and employee efficiency (EE) and investigates the mediating role of resource optimisation (RO) among employees in Indian public sector banks. Design/methodology/approach A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted among 396 employees from selected Indian public sector banks. The proposed conceptual model was analysed using covariance-based structural equation modelling with maximum likelihood estimation in the R statistical environment to examine the direct and indirect relationships among the principal study constructs. Findings ITT showed a positive relationship with EE and RO, while RO partially mediated the relationship between ITT and EE. The direct relationship between ITT and EE received cautious support, whereas the relationship between ITT and RO and the indirect pathway through RO were supported. The findings suggest that technology training is more likely to translate into employee efficiency when employee capability is accompanied by effective utilisation of organisational resources. Originality/value This study identifies RO as a mediating organisational mechanism between ITT and EE. It integrates the Resource-Based View and Dynamic Capabilities Theory to explain how employee capability and organisational resource deployment relate to employee efficiency and extends evidence from the underexplored context of Indian public sector banks undergoing digital transformation.