Transfer Wisdom from the 1970s

As a follow-up to my article: Transfer Wisdom from the 1980s, I've decided to do a bit more time travel and go back another decade (and more)!

I have applied the same formula as before, i.e. one article per year selected only from the articles in my database and I have provided the following content from each article:

• an extract that relates to a key point, and
• a meaningful quote (from my perspective).

Revisiting all the articles from the 1970s and 1980s in order to identify a variety of 'pearls of wisdom' turned out to be a more beneficial experience than I had anticipated. I rediscovered many valuable ideas/perspectives and the articles prompted me to to reexamine and confirm how the Ready-Set-Go-Show Model leverages transfer of training/learning.

Below are the articles and the extracts/quotes that I chose. The only alterations I made was to change "his" to "his/her" and "he" to he/she where appropriate.

1957

Why Training Programs Fail to Carry Over

by James N. Mosel

Ok, I know 1957 is in the wrong decade! I couldn't find a good 1970 article in my database, so I chose this one because it's an excellent article.

Training is said to be valid if it carries over to the job situation. To achieve this transfer, three conditions must be met. First, the content must be usable... Second, the trainee must acquire -- i.e. learn -- this usable content... Third -- and here we reach the main point of our discussion -- the trainee must be motivated to change his/her behavior to reflect what he/she has been taught in training. And there's the rub. While we have enough evidence to show that we are training all right, we are faced with the fact that our training stays right where it was acquired -- in the training situation. Much of our training remains encapsulated in "training tight compartments"; it is not "glued into the job."

We must realize that the problem is a motivational one. Trainees must not only be motivated to learn. They must also be motivated to use their learning.

1971

Support Systems for Training

by Leonard Nadler

If the training program produces new behavior -- which is the objective of all training programs -- then there must be adequate opportunity for the trainee to actually use his/her behavior on the job. There must be a bridging of the gap between the training experience and the actual job. Experiments in educational psychology of more than 20 years ago have shown a problem of "transfer of training", that is, the loss in learning which occurs between the learning situation and the application. Sometimes it is a function of the learner. Quite often it is a function of the situation which does not permit or encourage the learner to use his/her new learning back on the job.

It appears that much of our training ends with awarding certificates and paying travel vouchers, with too little attention given to follow-up as part of a support system.

1972

A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of a Human Relations Training Program on Managerial Effectiveness

by Herbert H. Hand and John W. Slocum

A fundamental tenet in training is to develop a climate for people to utilize their talents and to be rewarded appropriately by the organization for their?efforts.?The behavior taught in training is made instrumental to the trainee by making rewards and punishments from the organization contingent on the transfer of training to the job. It is necessary that the rewards be apparent to the trainee, because the more clear the contingent relationship between the trainee's performance and rewards and punishments, the more motivated he/she will be to apply the behavior taught in the training situation to the job.

It is difficult to produce a change in individual behavior towards being more considerate to the needs of others if the culture is imbedded with other values.

1973

Changing Managerial Behavior by Applied Learning Techniques

by Arnold P. Goldstein and Mel Sorcher

Current evidence pointedly indicates that reversing the attitude change -> behavior change sequences is highly likely to yield much more productive outcomes. That is, if our training goals are to increase the likelihood that the manager-trainee will act differently with his/her supervisor, respond differently with his/her peers, behave differently with his/her employees, it is clear we would do well to focus on behavior change in our training programs. Interestingly, when one does so, appropriate attitude change is also likely to occur.

If we desire truly effective training procedures, we must systematically evaluate our efforts... and be willing to discard, alter, augment or otherwise modify today's approach for a better one tomorrow.

1974

Getting Management Training to Pay Off

by Charles E. Watson

Unfortunately, many of the potential benefits... educational experiences can bring are never fully realized because the participants in management training courses and seminars frequently apply only a small part of their increased knowledge when they return to their jobs. One promising approach to overcoming this problem is a method of continuing -- on the job -- the learning begun in the formal training program. This approach consists of helping managers apply in their daily work the management theories and principles learned in the program.

One of the objectives of any management training program should be to enable learners to bridge the gap between understanding the theory and its application in a wide variety of unique situations.

1975

Six Reasons Why Training Fails

by Ruth D. Salinger

With the trainer performing the role of consultant to supervisors and managers, the results will produce benefits of several types. The probability is increased that training and development programs will be attended by only those who have the learning needs, that the training will be appropriate for the particular situation, and that the organization will support the application of the skills and knowledge learned after the employee returns to the job. Trainers will be thought of not as a unit isolated from the mainstream of organizational activities but as an essential group of professionals who have valuable skills to contribute.?

Managers and trainers have a joint responsibility to providing training and development to employees -- training that will actually change people's behavior.

1976

Enlisting Management Support

by J. C. Colquhoun

Training can contribute significantly to the raising of organisational standards of performance where managers allow it to become an integral part of their approach to management. The more professional the manager the more sophisticated his/her tool kit and the greater the opportunities for the training officer to get involved; at the same time, training itself can play a part in raising these levels of professionalism. Enlisting support is therefore a two-way process whereby the manager is helped to clarify his/her own thinking on staff performance and development and the training officer is able to identify specific areas where training can make a contribution.?

If support is not effectively enlisted then training is likely to be submerged in a sea of apathy or smothered in a surfeit of lip service.?

1977

Training and Behavior Change

by Saul W. Gellerman

The people whose behavior has the greatest impact on that of the trainee are those with the most frequent day-to-day contact with him or her... Statements of support per se have only ritual value, since what people do matters far more, in the end, than what they say. Merely being in favour of training has no effect on it, and therefore no need to be encouraged. But certain specific actions in response to what trainees can do affect training considerably, and are therefore worthwhile seeking out. Three specific kinds of supportive behaviors are especially valuable: reinforcement, rehearsal and explanation.

To fail to ensure that training is supported is rather like scattering expensive seed on unplowed fields, and then neglecting to water, weed, fertilize or protect it from pests.

1978

Approaches to the Problems of Learning Transfer

by Andrzej Huczynski

In the foreseeable future the success of training will be measured in terms of the amount of course learning that can be transferred to, and applied on the job. Managerial and supervisory courses numerically continue to represent the bulk of training that occurs. For this reason it appears that course designers need to rethink the relationship between the course (an island) and the participant's work environment (the mainland). One frequently uses the analogy of building a bridge between the two. Often, however, there is no bridge and the returning member (with his/her skill and knowledge) merely sinks.

What has been overlooked by the majority of trainers and lecturers is that the ability to apply learning to the work situation is?a skill.

1979

Making Sure Your Supervisors Do On the Job What You Taught Them in the Classroom

by James C. Robinson and Linda E. Robinson

Developing skill mastery in the classroom is essential. Until supervisors can successfully utilize the new skills in the classroom, they probably don’t attempt to use them on the job. First attempts at using a skill are often discouraging because a person feels awkward and unsure. It is unrealistic, then, to expect a supervisor to utilize a skill such as conducting a performance appraisal if he or she has not previously mastered that skill?in the classroom.

The success of supervisory training depends both upon the effectiveness of the classroom training and the reinforcement received on the job.

A Clear Message

A message that comes through loud and clear from this early literature on training/learning transfer is the make or break influence of the workplace environment, in particular the powerful influence of line managers. This influence applies whether the training happens in the form of an e-learning course on a mobile device, a virtual classroom delivered via Zoom, or a face-to-face skills workshop at an off-site location.

Today we recognise the far-reaching effects of influencing forces in the workplace using concepts like 'employee engagement' and, more recently, 'psychological safety'. Whether we like it or not, if our training is to be truly effective, we must proactively and positively influence 'application of learning' and 'learning from application'.

REFERENCES

1. James N. Mosel. Why Training Programs Fail to Carry Over. Personnel, Volume 34, Number 3, November-December 1957, pp. 56-64.
2. Leonard Nadler. Support Systems for Training. Training and Development Journal, Volume 25, Number 10, October 1971, pp. 2-7.
3. Herbert H. Hand and John W. Slocum. A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of a Human Relations Training Program on Managerial Effectiveness. Journal of Applied Psychology, Volume 56, Number 5, 1972, pp. 412-417.
4. Arnold P. Goldstein and Mel Sorcher. Changing Managerial Behavior by Applied Learning Techniques. Training and Development Journal, Volume 27, Number 3, March 1973, pp. 36-39.
5. Charles E. Watson. Getting Management Training to Pay Off. Business Horizons, Volume 17, Number 1, February 1974, pp. 51-58.
6. Ruth D. Salinger. Six Reasons Why Training Fails. Training, Volume 12, Number 2, February 1975, pp. 28-33.
7. J. C. Colquhoun. Enlisting Management Support. Industrial and Commercial Training, Volume 8, Number 8, 1976, pp. 310-312.
8. Saul W. Gellerman. Training and Behavior Change. Training and Development Journal, Volume 31, Number 2, February 1977, pp. 3-5.
9. Andrzej Huczynski. Approaches to the Problems of Learning Transfer. Journal of European Industrial Training, Volume 2, Number 1, 1978,?pp. 26-29.
10. James C. Robinson and Linda E. Robinson. Making Sure Your Supervisors Do On the Job What You Taught Them in the Classroom. Training, Volume 16, Number 9, September 1979, pp. 21-22, 24-26.

AUTHOR

Over the last 20+ years I have successfully delivered many professional development programs for learning specialists. I believe training will remain an important part of L&D, but should never be the default solution and must deliver meaningful benefits in the workplace.

I offer blended online programs on 'Maximising Learner Engagement' and 'Maximising Learning Transfer'. These programs include a combination of virtual workshops and self-paced learning. They incorporate extensive research and the methods I personally use to design and deliver training that is engaging and effective.

Both programs are based on my Predictable Performance Design Methodology and implemented in four phases according to the Ready-Set-Go-Show Model. Thanks to the model, I recently 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 arrange a chat or want more info about my programs for L&D professionals, please email me at [email protected].