Self-directed learning and absorptive capacity: the mediating role of trust and human capital

This chapter aims to provide a better understanding of how self-directed learning effects absorptive capacity by examining the influence of two mediators: specifically, affective trust in colleagues and human capital development climate. By using a sample of 181 participants from the creative industries sector, a sequential mediation via a three-step causal chain was conducted. This chapter contributes to human resource development and strategic management literature in showing that self-directed learning does not only have a strong effect on the organisational capability, but it also has an impact at the group-level dynamics involving trust and organisational-level climate. These findings show that organisations need to design jobs that allow discretion and autonomy from staff to shape their own learning and to cultivate an environment that recognises and rewards learning