Learning transfer in leadership programs.docx

Learning transfer in leadership programs
Sara Villegas Piedrahita
Purdue University
EDCI-531: Learning Theory and Instructional Design
Dr.Christopher Mong
February 26th
, 2023

LEARNING TRANSFER IN LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS
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The ultimate goal of any training, specifically in a corporate environment, is to guarantee
learners can apply new knowledge or skills in the workplace. Using the learned content in their
day-to-day is called learning transfer (Schunk, 2020). When learners can accomplish this,
organizations start to see the impact on workers' performance and can ultimately help create a
culture change.
However, in most cases, training is designed and delivered to produce results and a long-
term impact, but usually, this is not the case (Martin, 2010, p.88). Understanding training transfer
is critical because it allows learning designers to incorporate or reevaluate training activities and
methodologies to improve training effectiveness in the long term.
The success of today's organization is based on having people with good leadership skills
ready to empower and influence people in their environment to achieve results. That is why
during the last few years, organizations have invested large sums of resources in developing
leadership skills to improve organizational performance. Nevertheless, leadership development's
expected impact has yet to have the intended results.
Most studies related to learning transfer do not consider the content and purpose of the
training. It is essential to consider the differences between teaching hard skills and soft skills as it
impacts diverse aspects and understand the best techniques that can be used to enhance the
likelihood of achieving our objectives. In the case of leadership training, there are a diverse set of
elements that should be analyzed and taken into consideration to improve participants' learning
transfer.
In this paper, we will understand the importance of leadership development initiatives in
corporate environments. It is not enough to evaluate our programs using formative and

2
summative evaluations or implementing the Kirkpatrick evaluation model to gain insights into
how participants implement the knowledge or skills after training. We must understand how to
design a program that has elements that will promote transfer before, during, and after the
program. This paper will examine the impact of learning transfer and the models used to
understand better how to achieve this. Afterward, a deep dive will be done into the relationship
between learning transfer and leadership development and what elements can be incorporated
before, during, and after the programs that can impact transfer.
This is essential in my current context because, as a learning manager responsible for
leadership programs, I have noticed employees find it hard to implement their new skills in the
workplace. After conducting an impact evaluation survey, I learned that most people applied 2 or
3 skills when they returned from the training but failed to maintain the behavior. They mention
they enjoy the training, feel it is well structured, have excellent faculty members explaining the
concepts, and can remember approximately 60% of the content but fail to transfer it to their day-
to-day. This document will help other learning managers from the organization reflect on what
elements they are incorporating that could impact transfer and will create awareness of our role
to guarantee this happens. I wish to help other learning managers understand that it is not enough
to have good content we must implement other elements during the learning journey to help
learners transfer their knowledge.
Literature review
Leadership training
Organizations, companies, or corporations are built upon people's ability to influence,
empower and ultimately lead others toward organizational goals and strategies. To become high-

3
performing organizations, they need people that can manage the company and lead the people in
it. To achieve this, it is essential to invest in leadership training as it has the power to influence
and create a change in behaviors and attitudes (Fiedler, 1972, p. 453). In other words, training
people within an organization about leadership helps them develop and learn practical ways to
work with others and manage people. It has been proven that investing in leadership training has
a long-term impact on organizational performance and creates a competitive advantage (Phillips
& Phillips, 2012).
Leadership training programs have been designed to affect knowledge, skills, and
abilities (Lacerenza, 2017, p. 1687) by focusing on self-awareness, improving interpersonal
interactions, and promoting attitude changes (Burk & Collins, 2005, p. 976). Usually, leadership
development programs are created based on the current company's needs and strategy.
Independently of the competencies taught during a leadership development program, it is critical
that leaders not only participate in programs to gain knowledge but that they practice them to
become competent (p. 976).
In general, leadership development content aim at teaching specific soft skills.
Nevertheless, it is essential to be aware that learning and mastering soft skills require more time
and effort as the concepts are usually more abstract than technical skills (Vandergoot et al., 2019,
p. 239). Being a more abstract concept has created specific difficulties for learning departments
to analyze and evaluate their impact and how participants change their behaviors and apply the
concepts.
Learning Transfer

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Throughout the literature, there are diverse definitions of what learning transfer means.
According to Kaiser et al. (2013), learning transfer is defined as the “effective ad continuing
application by learners-to their performance of jobs or other individual, organizational, or
community responsibilities-of knowledge and skills gained in the learning activities” (p.6). Other
authors such as Ford and Weissbein (1997) define it as “the application, generalizability, and
maintenance of new knowledge and skills to a wide variety of managerial situations, and
fundamentally examines the extent to which course content is transferred or applied by
participants back in the workplace” (p. 23). There are infinite definitions of learning transfer, but
they have one element in common: participants can apply the content learned regardless of the
context.
Besides its effective application to participants' reality, learners must be capable of
generalizing the learned content and skills to their job and day-to-day for long periods to ensure
transfer occurs (Balwin & Ford, 1988, p.63). When this happens, we have a positive transfer,
when it does not occur, it is called a transfer problem. It encompasses the challenges learners can
have in applying and maintaining their new skills and knowledge in the workplace. When this
occurs, companies should diagnose accurately to understand what elements or factors can
prevent learners from transferring their knowledge and then create a solution for them (Holton et
al., 2001, p.2). After identifying these obstacles, it will be easier for instructional designers to
develop initiatives during the design and facilitation phase for this to occur.
Learning Transfer and leadership training
Although there has been a significant focus on corporate areas to train employees on
leadership skills, and there is awareness of the importance of introducing strategies to increase
learning transfer, the results have not been positive. Today, companies spend a great number of

5
organizational resources training their workforce, especially on leadership topics (Vandergoot et
al., 2019; Lacerenza et al., 2017, p,1686). Nevertheless, there is a low return on investment and
impact also, it is estimated that learning transfer in this type of program ranges from 10% to 50%
(Culpin et al., 2014). Therefore, there is a need to understand the elements that can be
implemented to improve transfer and have more impact. To understand how learning transfer can
be incorporated, we can analyze different models and see what initiatives can be considered to
improve transfer. Even though we explained different models, we decided to do a deep dive on
the last one as it is easier to connect to the elements an instructional designer can impact.
The Dynamic Transfer Model proposed by Blume et al. (2019) contemplates and
“examines linkages between intentions to transfer, the initial attempts to utilize training, and the
integration of feedback received from the transfer attempt” (p.270). The idea behind this model
is that it is reiterative and that factors such as context and individual factors impact transfer. This
model is divided into 3 big moments (see attachment 1). The first big moment considers the
training process by analyzing participants' level pre-training, how they evolved during the
training, and how post-training can influence behaviors. The next moments propose a framework
to understand the interactions and links within the transfer process. The links and interaction
refer to the intent to transfer, the initial attempt to transfer, and another attempt to transfer based
on evaluation and feedback. One element the model highlights is how early experience and
choices and the interaction learners have with others and in different situations can significantly
impact transfer (Blume, 2019, p.271).
Furthermore, Burke and Collins (2005) propose a framework that can help maximize
learning and skill transfer promotion. This model considers three main features: knowledge base,
learning approach, and practice setting. The first feature, knowledge base, considers two types

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of knowledge that can be built: procedure and declarative. The second feature considers the
learning approach tactical (more general skills), linked to procedural knowledge (strategic skills)
and declarative knowledge. Finally, the practice setting or better learning approach could be used
considering the transfer environment.
Another interesting model of transfer was proposed by Burke and Hutchins(2008) (see
attachment 2). This model shows the impact of different elements in learning transfer. This
model is attractive because it combines elements of other models created before. This model
incorporates many of the concepts from Baldwin and Ford (explained in brief) but adds a
differentiating element: trainer characteristics and evaluation. Trainer characteristics become
essential as they impact how participants feel and are treated during the training and how well
they transmit and model the concepts (Burke & Hutchins, 2008, p.121). In terms of evaluation, it
is all about creating accountability for application. Implementing initiatives such as follow-up
sessions and reports post-training helps to make this.
On the other hand, Baldwin and Ford (1988) propose three main elements that must be
considered: training inputs, training outputs, and conditions for transfer (see attachment 3). In the
following section we will explains each element within the training inputs and how it impacts
transfer:
1. Trainee characteristics: This includes personal characteristics, learners' abilities,
and self-efficacy beliefs regarding training. One factor strongly correlated with
skills transfer to the work environment is the motivational level (Tziner et al.,
1991). There are other elements of trainee characteristics related that
organizations can consider when training people that impact participants' capacity

7
to transfer knowledge. For example, the transfer will be more positive if the
training is connected to the participant's function.
2. Training design: This references design factors such as program content,
curriculum, and learning principles used. A study by Broad and Newstrom (1992)
found that training that has a clear connection with the organizational goals and
strategy will increase the probability of transfer. Another element is the program's
design in terms of sessions. According to Lacerenza et al. (2017), programs with
multiple sessions instead of one mass training session significantly impact
transfer. In other words, it is essential to give participants time to learn the
content, digest it, apply it, and then go back to another training session. Also, it is
critical for instructional designers to ensure that the training has clear and realistic
learning goals, to make good content curation so that only relevant content is
explained, and to have a program that incorporates practice moments alongside
feedback (Burke & Hutchins, 2007). This last part is critical to creating more
positive transfer as it helps learners gain insight into how to correct certain
behaviors. According to Lacerenza et al., 2017, the following elements related to
design impact transfer: delivery methods, methodologies used, and facilitators.
First, face-to-face programs have been shown to significantly impact learning
transfer more than virtual ones. Related to this is whether the training is
mandatory or optional. As stated by the author, motivation to transfer increases
when the training is voluntary instead of mandatory. This has been shown to
impact self-determination and gives participants a sense of choice and autonomy
(Lacerenza et al., 2017). Within a corporate setting, learning managers should

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consider how to provide more autonomy to learners regarding the type of training
they do or the training they perform. Second, incorporating diverse learning
methodologies increases learning transfer. Finally, selecting to deliver the training
with external facilitators gives more credibility, importance, and confidentiality,
influencing positive transfer.
3. Work environment: This element considers factors within the work environment
and culture. In this case, work environment factors impact the transfer of training
climate (the relationship between a person's attitude and behavior in their job and
their organizational context). In other words, the transfer climate within a
participant's context can have an impact, positive or negative, on how they apply
the content to their job. There are diverse initiatives that can be implemented and
thought about to help in this aspect—for example, creating opportunities for
participants to practice or promoting the manager´s support. This last element has
proven to be one of the most influential factors (Sørensen, 2017, p.49).
Instructional designers can use the following elements in leadership training to
promote this: coaching moments, creating moments or interactive activities for
supervisors to encourage participants' practice, post-training evaluation of skills
and making sure that the supervisor understands the relevance of the content and
skills in the participant's job functions (Burke & Hutchins, 2007).
Conclusion
No matter the program or area we work in, it is essential to understand how our learners
transfer their knowledge to their daily lives. Learning transfer is not that simple, and therefore
instructional designers must be aware of all the elements they should consider throughout the

9
training moments. Without this information, making the proper adjustments to learning solutions
that can have an impact is difficult. This is especially important when discussing leadership
programs as they have become strategically important for organizations and because more
elements impact content application.

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Attachments
Attachment 1. Dynamic Transfer Mode proposed by Blume et al.
Attachment 2. Model of training transfer by Burke & Hutchins

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Attachment 3. Model of training transfer by Baldwin & Ford

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Reference
Baldwin, T. T., & Ford, J. K. (1988). Transfer of training: A review and directions for future research. Personnel
Psychology, 41, 63–105. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.1988.tb00632.x
Blume, B. D., Ford, J. K., Surface, E. A., & Olenick, J. (2019). A dynamic model of training transfer. Human
Resource Management Review, 29(2), 270–283. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2017.11.004
Broad, M L.., & Newstrom, J.W. (1992). Transfer of training: Action-packed strategies to ensure high payoff from
training investments. Addison-Wesley Pub. Co.
Burke, V., & Collins, D. (2005). Optimizing the effects of leadership development programs: A framework for
analyzing the learning and transfer of leadership skills. Management Decision, 43(7/8), 975–987.
https://doi.org/10.1108/00251740510609974
Burke, L. A., & Hutchins, H. M. (2007). Training transfer: An integrative literature review. Human Resource
Development Review, 6(3), 263-296.
Culpin, V., Eichenberg, T., Hayward, I., & Abraham, P. (2014). Learning, intention to transfer, and transfer in
executive education. International Journal of Training and Development, 18(2), 132–147.
https://doi.org/10.1111/ijtd.12033
Fiedler, F. E. (1972). The effects of leadership training and experience: A contingency model interpretation.
Administrative Science Quarterly, 17(4), 453–470. https://doi.org/10.2307/2393826

13
Ford, J. K. and Weissbein, D. A. (1997), ‘Transfer of training: An update review and analysis. Performance
Improvement Quarterly, 10, 22–41.
Holton III, E.F., Bates, R.A. & Ruona, W.E.A. (2000), Development of a generalized learning transfer system
inventory. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 11, 333-360. https://doi-
org.ezproxy.lib.purdue.edu/10.1002/1532-1096(200024)11:4<333::AID-HRDQ2>3.0.CO;2-P
Kaiser, L. M. R., Kaminski, K., & Foley, J. M. (2013). Learning transfer in adult education (1st ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Lacerenza, C. N., Reyes, D. L., Marlow, S. L., Joseph, D. L., & Salas, E. (2017). Leadership training design,
Delivery, and Implementation: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 102(12), 1686–1718.
https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000241
Lim, D. H., & Morris, M. L. (2006). Influence of trainee characteristics, instructional satisfaction, and organizational
climate on perceived learning and training transfer. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 17(1), 85–115.
https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.1162
Martin, H. J. (2010). Workplace climate and peer support as determinants for training transfer. Human Resources
Development Quarterly, 21, 87-104. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.20038
Mishra, S., & Sahoo, M. (2022). Motivation to transfer soft skills training: A systematic literature review.
Management Research News, 45(10), 1296–1322. https://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-03-2021-0225
Phillips, J. J., & Phillips, P. P. & R. (2012). Measuring leadership development: Quantify your program’s impact
and ROI on organizational performance (1st edition). McGraw-Hill Education.
Schunk, D. H. (2020). Learning theories: An educational perspective (Eighth Edition). Pearson.
Sørensen, P. (2017). What research on learning transfer can teach about improving the impact of leadership
development initiatives. Consulting Psychology Journal, 69(1), 47–62. https://doi.org/10.1037/cpb0000072
Tziner, A., Haccoun, R. R., & Kadish, A. (1991). Personal and situational characteristics influencing the
effectiveness of transfer of training improvement strategies. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 64(2), 167–177.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8325.1991.tb00551.x
Vandergoot, S., Sarris, A., & Kirby, N. (2019). Factors that influence the transfer generalization and maintenance of
managerial‐leadership skills: A retrospective study. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 32(3), 237–263.
https://doi.org/10.1002/piq.21297
Evaluation guide

14
Requirements Points Explanation Points
Earned/Available
Exceeds Standard Meets Standard Needs Improvement Unacceptable Points
9-10 7-8 5-6 0-4
Context The student clearly
identifies their target
audience and context,
and all language and
terms are appropriate
for that context
The student clearly
audience and
context, and most
language and terms
are appropriate for
that context
The student
audience and
context, but more
detail is needed, or
the language and
terms are vague or
general
The student does not
identify their target
audience and context,
or the language and
terms used are
inappropriate or
incorrect
/10
Introduction The introduction is
well-written and
engaging, and
introduces the reader to
the learning theory and
argument in an
entertaining or
memorable way
The introduction is
well-written, and
introduces the reader
to the learning
theory and argument
in an acceptable way
The introduction is
poorly written, does
not introduce the
reader to the learning
theory or argument
in a comprehensible
way, or is not fully
developed
The introduction is
missing, does not set
the reader up to
understand the
learning theory and
argument, or is
excessively
confusing
/10
Argument The argument is
original, timely, and
relevant, it is
intellectually rigorous
while being appropriate
to the length of this
paper, and clearly stated
in a way that flows with
the text
The argument is
original, timely, or
relevant, it is
intellectually
challenging while
being appropriate to
the length of this
paper, and stated in a
way that generally
flows with the text
The argument is
interesting, but may
not be original or
relevant. It may be
somewhat
superficial, or it does
not flow well with
the text.
The argument is
missing entirely, is
not relevant to the
content in this
course, or is not
situated appropriately
within the structure
of the paper
/10

15
Conclusion The conclusion clearly
indicates why this topic
is important for the
author’s context,
connects to the ideas in
the introduction, and is
engaging and
satisfying. There are no
lingering questions
about the argument.
The conclusion
indicates why this
topic is important for
the author’s context,
loosely connects to
the ideas in the
introduction, and
wraps up the
argument. There
may be 1-2 minor
lingering questions.
The conclusion is
poorly developed,
does not directly
connect to the
author’s context, is
not connected to the
introduction, or
leaves more than 3
lingering questions.
The conclusion is
missing, there is no
context related to the
author, or does not
adequately
summarize the
arguments and
content in the paper.
/10
Research and
Conventions
Sources are from
reputable places, are
correctly cited, and the
minimum number of
citations was included.
There are no spelling or
formatting errors
Sources are from
reputable places, are
cited with 1-2 minor
errors, and the
minimum number of
citations was
included. There are a
few minor spelling
or formatting errors
Sources may not be
from reputable
places, there may be
more than occasional
errors, or the student
missed 1-2 of the
required number of
citations. There are
several spelling or
formatting errors that
are occasionally
distracting
Sources are not
reputable, there were
consistent errors in
citation, there was
evidence of
plagiarism, or the
student was missing
more than 3 of the
required number of
citations. There are
multiple distracting
spelling or formatting
errors
/10
Comments
Total /50

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