Transfer of Learning in Organizations

Transfer of Learning in Organizations

Käthe Schneider Editor Transfer of Learning in Organizations 1 3

Editor Käthe Schneider Friedrich Schiller University of Jena Jena Germany ISBN 978-3-319-02092-1 ISBN 978-3-319-02093-8 (ebook) DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-02093-8 Springer Cham Heidelberg New York Dordrecht London Library of Congress Control Number: 2013956591 Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. Exempted from this legal reservation are brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis or material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the Copyright Law of the Publisher s location, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Permissions for use may be obtained through RightsLink at the Copyright Clearance Center. Violations are liable to prosecution under the respective Copyright Law. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication, neither the authors nor the editors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)

Preface Sector experts predict, in the latest trend studies, that the development of further training measures that are conducive to the transfer of learning will be a high priority for training management for companies in the future. 1 That learning in further training ought to be sustainable and transferable is a requirement that is not new and that has engaged the practice of further vocational training for many decades now. The consistent topicality of the subject matter is all the more illustrative of the challenge that is associated with the design of learning environments that are conducive to the transfer of learning in organizations. The volume Transfer of Learning in Organizations covers the issue of ensuring and measuring the transfer of learning in organizations. The book is a collection of studies by academic researchers from the areas of Africa, Europe, and North America concerning this topic. The motivation for this edition results from the need for research and development concerning learning concepts that are conducive to the transfer of learning. The volume has the function of shedding light on the actual situation in further training practice concerning the transfer of learning and of developing this further by means of research-based concepts and models. The bringing together of perspectives from educational science, psychology, and business administration should do justice to the complexity of the issue of guaranteeing and evaluating the transfer of learning in organizations. At this point, it is of special importance for me to thank those, who have contributed to the publication of this book. First and foremost, I would like to thank the authors for their contribution to this volume. Likewise, I wish to warmly thank Nadine Börner, who is studying for a Bachelor s degree in Psychology, for editorial support. Finally, I especially wish to thank Springer Science+Business Media for including the volume in its publishing program and for its excellent cooperation. Käthe Schneider 1 Diesner, I., & Seufert, S. (2013). Trendstudie 2012 Herausforderungen für das Bildungsmanagement in Unternehmen. St. Gallen: scil, Universität St. Gallen. v

Contents 1 Introduction... 1 Käthe Schneider 2 Transfer of Learning in German Companies... 5 Käthe Schneider, Maria Pältz and Helmut Stauche 3 Enablers and Inhibitors of Learning Transfer from Theory to Practice... 23 Karima Bouzguenda 4 Learning Transfer in Organizations: An Adaptive Perspective Centered on the Learner and the Development of Self-Regulation... 45 Jean-François Roussel 5 A Systemic Perspective of Training Transfer... 65 Constantine Kontoghiorghes 6 Integration for Training Transfer: Learning, Knowledge, Organizational Culture, and Technology... 81 Doo Hun Lim and Brent Nowell 7 Training Transfer in Teachers Training Program: A Longitudinal Case Study... 99 Francesco Pisanu, Franco Fraccaroli and Maurizio Gentile 8 Evaluation of Training Transfer Factors: The FET Model... 121 Pilar Pineda-Herrero, Carla Quesada-Pallarès and Anna Ciraso-Calí vii

viii Contents 9 The Measurement of Transfer Using Return on Investment... 145 Paul Donovan 10 Conclusions... 169 Käthe Schneider

Contributors Karima Bouzguenda is an assistant professor in management at the School of Economics and Management, University of Sfax, Tunisia. She is currently the head of department of management. She holds BBA and MBA degrees from Radford University, USA. Her main research interests: Glass ceiling and women s advancement to top management, HRM evolution in emergent countries, integration HRM and TQM. She is a member of CRANET (Cranfield Network on global human resource management) since 2005. Anna Ciraso-Calí is a pedagogue and researcher at the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Spain. She collaborated in researches on evaluation of learning transfer, VET, and teacher training. In 2012 and 2013, she is member of an inter-university R+D+I project on participatory evaluation of community actions. In the professional field, she has experience as professional educator in non-formal education. Paul Donovan is Director of Teaching and Learning at the School of Business, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Ireland. His research interests include the topics of learning transfer, workplace learning and technology in learning. He has published several journal articles and is the co-author or editor of 7 books. Franco Fraccaroli is professor of work and organizational psychology at Trento University, Italy. His research interests include aging and late career in organizations, work stress and psychosocial risks in the workplace, and transfer of training. He is a fellow of SIOP (Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology) and a member of several editorial boards for international scientific journals. He served as President of European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology. Maurizio Gentile is tenured professor of Instructional Psychology at Salesian University Institute of Venice, IUSVE, Italy. He teaches Distance and multimedia learning at Libera Università Maria Ss. Assunta, LUMSA, in Rome, Italy. He is the Editor in chief of the international journal Ricercazione. He works, as private consultant, with IPRASE and the Department of Knowledge in the Province of Trento, Italy. ix

x Contributors Constantine Kontoghiorghes is a faculty member at the Cyprus University of Technology, Cyprus. He has published extensively in numerous journals and twice received the Cutting Edge Research award from the Academy of Human Resource Development in the United States. His research interests include training transfer, talent management, strategic HRM, and the design of high performance organizations. Doo Hun H. Lim is an Associate Professor of Adult and Higher Education at the University of Oklahoma, USA. His research interests have been in the areas of performance improvement systems and technology, cross-cultural research on work ethic issues, and learning and motivation issues within virtual learning environments. Brent Nowell is a Training Manager and Consultant to oil and natural gas companies. His research interests have been in the area of training transfer: transfer of distance learning, transfer of training as a result of instructional design, transfer of training within learning organizations, and the transfer process. Maria Pältz is a research scientist of Adult Education, University of Jena, Germany. Her main research activities cover the fields of personality development, especially for managers, coaching, and the transfer of learning in companies. She is writing her dissertation about volitional competences in leadership and implications for coaching practice. Dr. Pilar Pineda-Herrero, professor of Economics of Education and Training in Organizations at the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Spain. Her research areas are evaluation of training results, transfer, efficacy of VET, and education and work. She has directed several researches on evaluation of training policies and learning transfer. She is the author of five books and more than 20 papers on education and work. Francesco Pisanu is senior research manager at IPRASE (Provincial Institute of Educational Research and Experimentation, Province of Trento, Italy. His research interests are psycho-social aspects related to the use of technology in education and training, innovation in teaching practices and organizational issues in educational and training environments. He teaches Psychology of training and guidance at the University of Trento. Carla Quesada-Pallarès is a Teaching Assistant and Researcher at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain. She collaborates with the Organizational Development Group (EDO) since 2011. Her researches have been focused on the evaluation of: learning transfer, VET, organizational training, work training and women, and teacher training in higher education, among others. Jean-François Roussel After working as a management consultant, Jean- François Roussel is now a professor responsible for a Master s program in training management at Sherbrooke University in Canada. In addition to continuing its activities in the workplace, Mr. Roussel collaborates with various universities in

Contributors xi Belgium (Namur) and France (Paris Ouest Nanterre). His main research interests include learning transfer, self-regulation and informal learning. Käthe Schneider is Professor of Adult Education, University of Jena, Germany. Her research interests cover the topics of promoting adult self-development, Bildung of adults, leadership development, learning transfer and workplace learning. She has published several journal articles and book chapters and is the co-author or editor of 8 books. Helmut Stauche has been a scientific co-worker at the Chair of Adult Education, University of Jena, Germany, until his retirement. His working focus was the empirical part of research in various projects as well as new Internet-based teaching and learning methods at the university. He has published several articles and book chapters.