How to overcome barriers to training transition
Introduction
We are a company that develops and operates e-learning systems.
We have organized a study session on "training" to understand how our system is used and to propose what kind of training we would like to build using the system.
We held a study session on "training" with the purpose of understanding how our system is used and to propose what kind of training should be constructed using the system.
The study group used the book "Introduction to Training Development: Theory and Practice of Training Transition" (Diamond Inc.) as its textbook, and we read this book under the theme of "How to overcome the three barriers that hinder training transition.
The theme of this book is "How do we take what we learn in training and put it into practice in the workplace and have it lead to results? The theme of this book is "How do you take what you learn in training and put it into practice in the field?
The book discusses the theme, "How do we get people to put what they learn in training into practice in the field and get results?
The theme of the study session was inspired by a blog entry by the first author, Jun Nakahara of Rikkyo University's Jun Nakahara Laboratory in the College of Business Administration, which introduced the "three barriers to training transfer.
Let's take a look at "how to overcome the three barriers that inhibit training transition" based on the content of the study session.
What is Training Transfer?
First, let me explain the term "training transfer," which is the core concept of this document.
What is "Transfer of Training"?
1. knowledge and skills learned in training are actually practiced in the workplace (generalization), and
2. the "behavior" of the participants is changed, and "results" are achieved in the workplace and in management (contribution to management); and
3. and that the effects are sustained (sustainability).
The definition of "training transition" consists of the above three elements.
Training is meaningless unless 2. the participants' "behavior" changes as a result of the training, and the training leaves "results" in the field and in management.
In order to achieve this, it is necessary to prevent "training that is just done.
In order to prevent "training that is just done," it is necessary that 1) the training content is actually put into practice at the workplace, and 2) the effects of the training are sustained.
In other words, the opposite of "training that is just done" is "training that transfers to the workplace," which is what training should be.
Three Barriers to Training Transfer
Now, we would like to start encouraging the transfer of training, but there are barriers that hinder the transfer of training.
In general, there are the following three barriers to training transfer.
1. the "memory barrier
2. "Practice barrier
3. "Continuity barrier
The first "memory barrier" is the barrier of "not even remembering anything that was learned in the training.
If you simply attended the training without preparation, without reviewing the material, and without any idea of what you learned, it is easy to fall victim to the "memory barrier".
The second "barrier to practice" is the barrier of "whether or not you will actually try what you learned in the training.
There are two kinds of "whether or not to try" issues.
The first is the issue of participant motivation, and the second is the issue of opportunity.
To increase the former, it is important for instructors to encourage participants to increase their sense of self-efficacy at the end of the training.
For the latter "opportunity issue," it is necessary to inform and involve the participants' supervisors.
One of the factors that most influence training transition is the attitude and support of the participants' supervisors and colleagues.
Let's devise a way to successfully involve supervisors and colleagues, especially supervisors.
The third "continuity barrier" is the barrier of whether or not the participants can continue the practice started by what they learned in the training.
In order to continue the practice, it is necessary to maintain motivation and to create opportunities and work environments that enable continuity.
In order to maintain motivation, we need to introduce interval-type training and make the training a two-tiered program, for example.
In other words, create an environment where you have to do it.
Now that we have introduced the three barriers and lightly touched on how to deal with them, please see the summary of how to overcome them again at the end of the article.
Kirkpatrick's "Four-Level Assessment Model."
Although the roots of training transition research and many prior studies on training transitions are available, we will focus on the main themes.
Widely known among practitioners and researchers alike is the American management scholar Dr. Kirkpatrick's
The four-level evaluation model, proposed by American management scholar Dr. Kirkpatrick in 1959, is a model of educational evaluation methods.
The evaluation model has the following four levels.
Level 1: Reaction
Level 2: Learning
Level 3: Behavior
Level 4: Results
The following is a brief description of the contents of Level 1: Reaction - Level 4: Results.
Level 1: Reaction is a questionnaire-based evaluation of "impressions of the training," mainly measuring "satisfaction" and "self-efficacy.
Level 2 Learning measures "retention of knowledge and skills" and is evaluated through confirmation tests and role-plays.
Level 3 behavior measures "transfer of learning content and changes in workplace behavior" and is evaluated through questionnaires, interviews, and behavioral observations.
Level 4 Outcomes measure "business impact" and are evaluated through sales, profit, and turnover.
While previous training evaluations were limited to Level 1 Reaction and Level 2 Learning, Kirkpatrick's four-level evaluation is designed to measure the impact of the training on the business.
Kirkpatrick's four-level evaluation has been expanded to include Level 3 behaviors and Level 4 outcomes.
Since the "training transition" was a change in behavior and achievement of results, it is not surprising that the "training transition" was a change in behavior and achievement of results.
The germ of the concept of "training transfer" can be seen in this 4-level evaluation.
Measurement Chart of Training Transfer
Next, let us look at the measurement chart of training transfer.
The vertical axis represents the degree of control by the trainer, and the horizontal axis represents the number of factors affecting the evaluation.
The horizontal axis is the number of factors that affect the evaluation.
Level 1: Reaction" and "Level 2: Learning," which have few evaluation items, are highly controlled by the trainer, while "Level 3: Action" and "Level 4: Outcome," which have many evaluation items, are difficult to control.
However, "Level 3: Behavior" and "Level 4: Outcome," which have many evaluation items, are difficult to control.
The graph shows that Level 3 Behavior is the bridge between Level 4 Outcome, which has the most complex evaluation items, and Level 1 Reaction and Level 2 Learning.
In other words, the most important success factor in training transition is Level 3 behavior.
Transfer Matrix
From here, we would like to look at how to facilitate the transfer of training.
The following transition matrix is a table that shows the level of influence and use for training transition.
In this table, we can see that the area circled in red, the manager's (supervisor's) level of influence before and after the training is high. However, it should also be seen that the degree of use (encouragement) is insufficient.
In order to overcome the "opportunity problem," which is one of the "barriers to implementation," it is important to involve the supervisor, as described in the section "Three Barriers to Training Transition.
I mentioned in the section "Three Barriers to Training Transfer.
From this transition matrix, we can understand how important it is to involve supervisors to facilitate training transition.
How to Overcome the Three Barriers to Training Transfer
The following table of training transition promotion strategies is like a summary of this book, Part 1: History, Theoretical Framework, and Practical Strategies for Training Transition.
From this table, we offer the following tentative conclusions about how to overcome the three barriers that inhibit training transfer.
1. how to overcome the memory barrier
Reverse learning : by pre-assignment Input is provided, and during the training, exercises such as confirmation tests and application problems are conducted.
Active learning: Interactive, learner-participation training to strongly impress the trainee with the content of the training.
Interval training: Two-tiered training, including re-training.
2. how to overcome barriers to practice
Involvement of workplace managers: Enhance learner motivation through dialogue, create opportunities for utilization in the workplace, etc.
Action learning: Training that solves problems in the workplace.
Instructor involvement: Clearly set goals, increase trainees' self-efficacy, telephone coaching, etc.
3. methods to overcome barriers to continuity
Interval training: Create a two-stage training program to create a situation in which participants are compelled to participate in the training.
Involvement of workplace managers: Increase participants' motivation through dialogue, create opportunities to use the training in the workplace, etc.
Instructor involvement: Clearly set goals, increase participants' self-efficacy, telephone coaching, etc.
Conclusion
This is a brief introduction to the content of the workshop.
We have read this book under the theme of "how to overcome the three barriers that hinder training transition," but in reality, there are three different ways to overcome the three barriers.
Please understand that it is not possible to divide training transfer promotion measures into three groups, and that the descriptions are based on arbitrary judgments.
If you are interested in a more systematic approach, please refer to the first part of this document, "History, Theoretical Framework, and Practices of Training Transfer.
In addition, in Part 2 of this book, you will find a "Practical Case Study of Training Transfer. As a practical case study, I was strongly impressed by the FANCL case study.
The keywords in the FANCL case study are "flipped learning" and "internalization of training," but I was also impressed by the use of micro-learning preparatory videos before the training, and the use of interactive, active learning during the training.
The company uses many of the latest training methods, such as interactive training through active learning during the training.
One of the most noteworthy features is the use of a four-step model to measure training transfer in the post-training questionnaire.
Since Kirkpatrick's four-step model is the origin of the concept of "training transition," there is no reason not to incorporate the four-step model into the questionnaire to measure training transition.
The four-step model is used in the post-training questionnaire to measure training transfer.
Today, society is in the age of VUCA, which stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity, a term coined to describe a situation in society where the future is extremely difficult to predict.
In these volatile and uncertain times, only companies that constantly update their operations will be able to survive.
To this end, we must rethink the significance of training. Gone are the days when it was acceptable to conduct training in a "do-as-you-go" or "recreational" manner.
Remember the element of "contributing to management" in the definition of training transition? Training is meaningless if it does not produce results.
In order to achieve those results, why don't you pick up this book and learn how training should be conducted and how organizations should be managed?
References
Introduction to Training and Development: Theory and Practice of Training Transition" (Diamond Inc.)
New book "Introduction to Training and Development - Theory and Practice of Training Transition" is now available! | NAKAHARA-LAB.net
http://www.nakahara-lab.net/blog/archive/9092
How can we make "training" lead to success after joining a company? Training Skills" from "Transfer of Training" (in Japanese)
https://corp.en-japan.com/success/10495.html
