Today, ongoing organizational development is essential to survive in the complicated and dynamic business environment. In this sense, well designed corporate training program is positively necessary for cultivating competitive human resources in the g...
Today, ongoing organizational development is essential to survive in the complicated and dynamic business environment. In this sense, well designed corporate training program is positively necessary for cultivating competitive human resources in the global market. As a matter of fact, corporate training program should promote learners' transfer, which links to the ultimate financial results, as well as learning itself. Therefore, this study aims to verify how effective this corporate training program is and to suggest strategies for improving learners' transfer in workplace by analyzing the relationships between learning achievement, transfer climate and learners' transfer.
The research questions in this study were as follows:
First, are there any differences in learning according to implementing this corporate training program?
Second, are there any differences in transfer according to implementing this corporate training program?
Third, does learning achievement predict learners' transfer?
Fourth, does organizational transfer climate predict learners' transfer?
The research questions were tested using the collecting data from a sample of 114 employees, who attended in the 'advanced fund consulting' course, in company S. The survey assessed learners' learning achievement, perceived transfer level and organizational transfer climate. Distributing and collecting the survey were conducted in the classroom and company S's intranet e-survey system.
Most studies measure transfer by too abstract and general questions, so the alternative measuring method was suggested in this study. The measuring questions were developed for this study, based on the performance objectives of this course. Besides, to supplement the limitation of self-report data, this study included the perceived learners' behavioral change data examined by their supervisors.
The findings of this study were as follows:
First, this results showed that this corporate training program had a significant effectiveness in learning. The evaluation of this program was conducted twice at the beginning and the end of the course. In certificate part, the mean of the pre-test was 48.33(SD = 11.48), and the mean of the post-test was 77.87(SD = 6.44). Besides, in comprehension part, the mean of the pre-test was 60.20(SD = 15.39), and the mean of the post-test was 83.56(SD = 9.17). This results indicated that there were the obvious improvements in learners' achievement.
Second, the results revealed that this corporate training program also had a significant effectiveness in learners' transfer. Learners' transfer was also measured twice at the beginning and 2 to 3 months after the course done. The mean of transfer level at the beginning of the course(M = 3.44, SD = .32) and the mean of transfer level 2 to 3 months later(M = 4.11, SD = .32) had significant improvement(t = -17.46, p = .000).
However, the results showed that this corporate training program's learning achievement was not a highly influential predictor for learners' transfer(β = .03).
Finally, the results revealed that the sub-factors of organizational transfer climate partly predicted the learners' transfer. Only supervisor supports(β = .40) and opportunities of use(β = .29) were indicated as positively influential factors for learners' transfer. Peer supports and openness to change did not predict learners' transfer significantly in this study. This regression model explains 38% of learners' transfer(F = 25.78, p = .000).
The findings of this study suggest that this corporate training program is a highly-effective program. This is because the program includes the exam for official certificate, and is designed and developed based on employee's realistic and pressing needs. Moreover, the guided behavioral strategies to the learners, instructers, and mangers could be worked as a facilitator for learners' transfer.
Second, in business surroundings, learning achievement was not a direct predictor for learners' transfer. However, two sub-factors of transfer climate, supervisor supports and opportunities of use, were proved as effective factors on learner's transfer. As the findings of this study show, organizational environment supports are essential to promote learners' transfer in business situation. No matter how much learners achieved the knowledge, if they do not know how to apply it to the workplace or do not have supportive transfer climate, learners' transfer could not be occurred as they expected.
However, this study showed following limitations.
First, this transfer measuring method can be applied to only this corporate training program, so there is somewhat restriction for other studies. Also, the result of this study cannot be generalized for other studies. However, the method employed in this study to measure transfer more in detail based on performance objectives is the better method to measure learners' transfer specifically and practically than previous measuring methods; this method is required to be verified by applying to other studies.
Secondly, there could be the third factors which affect the relationship between learning and transfer such as motivation to transfer, learners' readiness, or learners' personality. Especially, as this study was conducted in business environment, other factors could control or mediate the relationship between them. A continuous exploration of other factors is needed.
Third, even though post learners' transfer was supposed to be measured 3 months after the course done, some of the sample were measured at the point of 2 months later because of the schedule of this study. Based on a literature review, 2 months is not enough period to measure the exact transfer level. Measuring learners' transfer consistently 3 to 6 months later would be better method for further study as it is possible.
Finally, because the corporate training program was verified up to the level 3 of behavior evaluation in this study, it is still a question how much it influenced on the ultimate financial results of enterprises. Therefore, further evaluation for the corporate training program is needed.