An investigation of training activities and transfer of training in organizations

TLDR

Organizations frequently employ training activities before, during, and after training to promote skill transfer to the workplace. This study investigates how organizations implement these activities and their relationship with transfer outcomes. The results show that activities during training are used more often than before or after, and that activities before, during, and after are all significantly related to transfer, with pre‑ and post‑training activities having the strongest association. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which organizations implement training activities for facilitating the transfer of training before, during, and after training and the relationship between these activities and the transfer of training across organizations.Training professionals from 150 organizations reported that 62%, 44%, and 34% of employees apply training material on the job immediately, six months, and one year after training. In addition, their organizations were significantly more likely to use training activities to facilitate transfer during training than either before or after training. Further, training activities before, during, and after training were significantly related to the transfer of training; however, activities in the work environment before and after training were more strongly related to transfer than activities during training. The practical and research implications of these findings are discussed for improving the transfer of training in organizations. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.