The document discusses factors that affect the transfer of training from a learning environment to the workplace. It identifies several key factors that can enhance or hinder learning transfer, including trainee characteristics like motivation and attitude; trainer capabilities and competence; the training design and environment; and the organization's role in supporting training transfer through interventions like supervisor and peer support, rewards, and culture. Effective transfer depends on applying principles like using identical elements from training in jobs, generalizing principles learned, varying stimuli during training, and workplace support for applying new skills.

1. Welingkar’s Distance Learning Division
Effective HR
CHAPTER-8
Transfer of Training
We Learn – A Continuous Learning Forum

2. Objectives
• Alter completing this chapter, you should be
able to:
– Understand what is transfer of training/learning
– Have knowledge about the factors enhancing
learning.

3. Nature of transfer of training/ learning
• Transfer of Training refers to Transfer through
Focus on Trainee and Organization Intervention.
• Training is successful not only with good training
design and training objectives hut also with the
readiness and willingness of the trainees.
• Retention of learning is a prerequisite to transfer
of training.
• Retention of learning is as important as the
learning itself. Retention of learning means the
ability to recall the learnt abilities as and when
required at a later date.

4. Nature of transfer of training/ learning
• Meaningfulness of the material means the material
used for training/ practice should be same as those to
be used for performance in the workplace.
• The quality of original learning also plays a role in
retention of learning.
• The more accurately a lesson/task is learnt; the more
possibility of it being not forgotten.
• The third factor of learning retention is the
interference means confusion of the learning either
with the past learning or with those learnt
subsequently.

5. Nature of transfer of training/ learning
• Transfer or learning means realizing the learned
abilities of training in the form of performance at
work or the ability of the trainees to successfully
use the learned capabilities for task performance
on the job.
• If the learning that has occurred in the training
program cannot be transferred successfully to
workplace performance, then it is a mere waste
of time and money for training.

6. Nature of transfer of training/ learning
• Transfer can be:
– Positive transfer:
• job performance
improves on account of
transfer,
– Zero transfer:
• no change in the
performance on account
of training, or
– Negative transfer:
• performance goes down
after the training.
• Training can also be
classified as
– Near transfer:
• what has been learned is
capable of being directly
applied on the job
– Far transfer:
• using the learning in new
situations or in creative
ways.

7. Nature of transfer of training/ learning
• There are certain factors that promote
transfer of learning to work place
performance.
• They are the principles of
– Identical elements,
– General principles,
– Stimulus variability and
– Support in work environment.

8. Factors enhancing learning
There are certain factors
which encourage or hinder
the learning. Such factors
are:
• Trainee characteristics
• Trainer capabilities
• Training design
• Training environment
• Organization’s role in
training and development

9. Trainee characteristics
• Trainee characteristics are trainability (i.e.
ability, motivation and perception of work
environment), attitude and self concept of the
trainees.
• Trainability means the trainee’s preparedness
for the learning to happen.
• The previous education and experience
contributes to the preparedness.

10. Trainee characteristics
• The more capable a person is in his preparedness
for learning, the more successful the learning
outcome is going to be.
• Some of the trainee characteristics are enlisted
below:
–
–
–
–
–
–
Motivation
perception of the work environment
attitude of the trainee
The self concept of the trainee
Knowledge, skills and attitude
Expectations

11. Trainee characteristics
• The trainee is a major stakeholder in a training
program.
• The whole training program is developed for the
trainees only.
• Each candidate plays an important role in the
transfer of training because one participant’s
attitude regarding the training influence the
other participants and also each participant can
assist by advancing the learning process to realize
the training objectives.

12. Trainee characteristics
• Some personal factors • Some environmental
that affect the trainee’s factors that affect the
learning are:
trainee’s learning are:
– Family Situation
– Benefits expected from
training
– Learning style of trainee
– Previous training
experience
– Relationship with
colleagues and
subordinates
– Training team & Trainer
team
– Training objective
– Environment in the
program

13. Trainer capabilities
• The trainer or facilitator is an important
person in the training process.
• The knowledge, skill, trait, self concept and
motive that he/she bring with him/her to the
learning environment can make or break the
success of learning.
• Even in a self study learning approach, the
trainer/facilitator plays a role in the way he
has developed the learning material.

14. Trainer capabilities
• The effective transfer negative perception
of training depends a of the trainee
lot on the trainer
regarding the training.
because it is the
• Besides all that, a lot
trainer only who can
depends on
remove the mental
personality of trainer
block of trainee,
also.
motivate the trainee
to learn, delete the

15. Training design
• The features of the training design (content,
methodology and delivery) play an important
role in maximizing the learning.
• The program should have been designed
scientifically by keeping in mind the learning
objective, the trainee characteristics and the
contextual constraints so as to ensure the
targeted learning.

16. Training environment
• The training environment includes both physical
environment and psychological environment.
• The training center should be equipped with
learning amenities like training aids, library and
well-designed classrooms.
• The center should be surrounded by a pleasant
neighborhood and should be free from pollution
of noise, dust, smell and other irritants.
• Psychological environment is the atmosphere, of
the organization, in which training is being
conducted.

17. Organization’s role in training and
development
• An organization has a very close relationship
with the trainee and the trainer because it is
the first contact for both.
• Demand for Training increases when there is
change in the nature of job, change in taste of
consumer, change in methods of product
development, etc.

18. Organization’s role in training and
development
• The demand for the training in the organization
increases when the organization wants:
– To hire new people — training as a means of training
new recruits
– To Expand When the company wants to increase its
headcount
– To increase certain number of staff (in position) by a
certain date
– To enhance the performance of employees
– Organization’s name to be a part of training unit

19. Organization’s role in training and
development
• The organization goes through the following
steps for the transfer of training to the field.
Identifying training needs
Selecting participants
Defining expectations from the
program
Monitoring trainees’ progress
Transferring training to the field

20. Organization’s role in training and
development
• Facilitation of Training through Organization
intervention
– Failure of training is not always because of’ lack of’
Knowledge, Skill and Attitudes but sometimes it is
because of the organizational forces also.
– These forces also hold back the transfer of training,
and learning.
– Therefore, it is important to keep in check those
forces.
– For the successful transfer of raining, it is necessary to
have supervisor support, trainer support, peer
support, reward system, climate and culture.

21. Organization’s role in training and
development
Trainer
support
Culture
Superio
r
support
Peer
support
Climate
Facilitations of
Training
through
Organization
intervention
Reward
system