Transfer of Social and Emotional Learning

The third and final research summary from my consulting archives (for now).

Below is a brief summary of the technical report, Bringing Emotional Intelligence to the Workplace (by The Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations), with particular emphasis on transfer of learning.

You may prefer to first read my 2024 addendum, which follows this summary. I've highlighted the limited view of training and transfer that is still so common in academic and L&D publications.

Introduction

The report commences by stating that “Research in training and development, sports psychology, and behavior change suggests that it is possible [to improve the social and emotional competence of adults], but the typical approach used in corporate training programs is flawed.” (p. 1)

The report makes a key distinction between two types of learning (cognitive and social/emotional), primarily to clarify that social and emotional learning is more difficult and complex. It involves ‘retuning’ neural circuitry that has become the brain’s default option and often changing behaviour that is central to one’s identity.

The authors tell us that: “For the learner, this usually means a long and sometimes difficult process involving much practice. One-day seminars just won’t do it.” (p. 6) They also say: “Developing emotional competence requires that we unlearn old habits of thought, feeling, and action that are deeply ingrained, and grow new ones. Such a process takes motivation, effort, time, support and sustained practice” (p. 28)

The Guidelines

The report provides 22 guidelines for developing emotional intelligence, illustrated in the form of a flow chart that "suggests there are four basic phases to the training process". (p. 7)

The following is a simplified version of the Optimal Process diagram:

The 22 guidelines (plus one*) are:

PHASE 1: PREPARATION FOR CHANGE

1. Assess the organization’s needs.
2. Assess personal strengths and limits.
3. Provide feedback with care.
4. Maximize learner choice.
5. Encourage participation.
6. Link learning goals to personal values.
7. Adjust expectations.
8. Gauge readiness.

PHASE 2: TRAINING

1. Foster a positive relationship between trainer and learner.
2. Maximize self-directed change.
3. Set clear goals.
4. Break goals into manageable steps.
5. Maximise opportunities to practice.
6. Provide frequent feedback on practice.
7. Rely on experiential methods.
8. Build in support.
9. Use models.
10. Enhance insight.
11. Prevent relapse.

PHASE 3: TRANSFER AND MAINTENANCE

1. Encourage use of skills on the job.
2. Provide an organizational culture that supports learning.
3. Remove situational constraints. *

* On page 7 of the report, the Optimal Process diagram includes this additional guideline, but it is not explained in the body of the report.

PHASE 4: EVALUATING CHANGE

1. Conduct on-going evaluation research

Although the majority of the guidelines apply to Phase 2, best possible use of limited resources requires a focus on the ‘weakest links’ or key leverage points. In this regard, it’s worth noting that “The guidelines… suggest that the preparation and transfer-and-maintenance phases of the training process are especially important. Yet too often these phases are neglected in practice.” (p. 28)

Transfer and Maintenance

As the authors state, transfer and maintenance of social and emotional learning is a particular challenge. “When learners return to their natural environments, there are likely to be many cues and reinforcers that support the old neural pathways that training was designed to weaken. Furthermore there may be significant barriers to the use of the new social and emotional competencies that still have a fragile neural foundation.” (p. 21)

Encourage Use of Skills on the Job

An important point is that “there are many different ways that supervisors, peers, subordinates, and others in the work environment can encourage learners to apply what they have learned.” (p. 21)

Three methods described are: (i) reinforcement, (ii) modeling, and (iii) reflection.

The strong influence of learners’ supervisors is highlighted. “The models to which learners are exposed when they return to the work environment are even more powerful than those they encountered during training,” and supervisors are prominent models in the workplace. (p. 22)

Provide an Organizational Culture that Supports Learning

This refers to (i) the organization as a whole, and (ii) the learners’ specific workplaces. An organization culture that values learning and development in general will positively affect transfer and maintenance of learning. In addition, “The climate of the work environment is particularly important for the transfer of social and emotional learning to the job.” (p. 23)

A Final Point

If you’re wondering about the relevance of the guidelines, here’s a concluding statement from the report: “the guidelines… apply to any developmental effort in which personal and social learning is a goal. This would include most management and executive development efforts as well as training in supervisory skills, diversity, teamwork, leadership, conflict management, stress management, sales, customer relations, etc.” (p. 28)

Reference

Cary Cherniss, Ph.D., Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., Robert Emmerling, Kimberly Cowan, and Mitchel Adler. Bringing Emotional Intelligence to the Workplace. The Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations. 1998.

A pdf copy is available on the CREIO web site [link]

Addendum (2024)

If you are familiar with my Ready-Set-Go-Show Model, you will recognise some similarity with the Optimal Process phases:

• READY <-> Preparation Phase (excluding needs assessment)
• SET <-> Training Phase
• GO & SHOW <-> Transfer and Maintenance Phase

A look 'under the hood' of the RSGS methodology reveals numerous differences, but the intention is the same. Evaluation of RSGS is a process of continuous improvement, which matches the philosophy expressed in the technical report.

Two issues I have frequently mentioned (see The Learning x Transfer Equation is Wrong!) are the event-centric view of training and the lack of appropriate recognition that on-the-job transfer/application involves important learning.

Take another look at the Optimal Process model:

Describing the second phase as the "Training Phase" indicates that training excludes transfer, which is part of Phase 3. The graphic also conveys the message that the Training Phase alone produces learning, since nowhere else is learning shown as an output. This goes against the evidence that transfer is another phase of learning, and that learning from application is essential to achieving real-world competence or proficiency.

Ironically, the sixth guideline under the Training Phase explicitly states that "learners need to practice on the job, not just in the training situation, for transfer to occur". (p. 17) Also, the second guideline under the Transfer and Maintenance Phase is 'Provide an Organizational Culture that Supports Learning'. (Bolded words are my emphasis).

Author

Throughout my L&D career I have continuously researched and experimented with ways to increase learning effectiveness. Along the way I have immersed myself in the 'science of learning' and the 'science of instruction' and have learned from successes and failures.

I know from experience that training can be very powerful if appropriate and implemented properly, which means addressing both drivers in the Training Effectiveness Equation. I have personally been involved in designing and implementing training programs that consistently produced an ROI in excess of 100%.

Over the last 20+ years I have successfully delivered many professional development programs for learning specialists. I have also created and delivered programs to help managers get better results from employee development.

My programs are based on the Predictable Performance Design Methodology and implemented according to the Ready-Set-Go-Show Model. Thanks to the model, I won a Gold Award at LearnX in the category Best Learning Model: Custom/Bespoke. Check out my article: Ready-Set-Go-Show Wins Gold.

If you would like to chat about my research or how I can help you, please email me at [email protected].