The effect of mental practice and goal setting as a transfer of training intervention on supervisors' self-efficacy and communication skills: An exploratory study

Mental practice, where goal setting was either implicit or explicit, was in vestigated in a pulp and paper mill as a post-training intervention with re gard to self-efficacy and the transfer of newly taught communication skills to the work setting. Six months after the supervisors had been trained, a 2 x 2 ANCOVA showed that self-efficacy was significantly higher for the sup ervisors who engaged in either mental practice or in mental practice combin ed with goal setting than for those in the goal setting only or control con ditions. Self-efficacy correlated significantly with goal commitment and co mmunication skills on the job. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated t hat the supervisor's imagery skills moderated the effect of mental practice on self-efficacy. Both the supervisors in the mental practice and in the g oal setting and mental practice conditions were observed by peers to have i mproved their communication behaviour on the job. No change in communicatio n behaviour was observed on the part of supervisors who set goals but did n ot engage in mental practice or were assigned to the control group.