An Empirical Study Into the Learning Transfer Process in Management Training

Two management technique courses with very specific objectives were compared. Participants completed a series of pre-and post-course questionnaires to establish whether they intended to transfer their training to their work and whether they had in fact done so. A number of characteristics were found to distinguish the learning ‘experimentors’ from the ‘non-experimentors’. More of the experimentors had attended the course on their own initiative, more of them believed the course would be beneficial to them on the job prior to attending it, and a greater proportion had had pre-course discussions with their boss. It was found that transfer attempts were more likely to be successful and beneficial where the boss ‘sponsored’ the new idea. Organizational factors found to inhibit training transfer included ‘overload of work’, ‘crisis work’ and ‘failure to convince older workers’. The main facilitating factors were related to the preparedness of the superior to listen to new ideas and allow experimentation with them. The management style and attitudes of the trainee's boss were found to be the single most important factor in management training transfer.