Embracing Learning Transfer: 3 Key Implications for Organisations
In recent years, organisations have significantly transformed their learning and development strategies to enhance employee performance and engagement. During my recent webinar, I discussed how this evolution has unveiled three crucial implications for achieving effective learning transfer: Skills Obsession, Between Sessions, and Scaling the Blend. In this blog, we will explore each of these key aspects, providing ideas on how to start implementing them successfully within your organisation.
1. Skills Obsession
The focus on skills has intensified, leading many organisations to obsess over counting, classifying, and categorising competencies – Thanks Trish Uhl for capturing the perfect language here. While understanding skills is essential, it’s crucial to recognise that merely tracking these metrics won’t drive the desired outcomes.
The key lies in the application of these skills within the actual work context. It’s not enough to equip individuals with skills; we must ensure they are not only able to apply them effectively, but they do apply them effectively. This means shifting our focus from just acquiring knowledge to fostering behavioural change. The “knowing-doing gap” remains a significant challenge; we must work on closing it by encouraging individuals to take ownership of their learning and its impact.
A great point raised by Nick Shackleton Jones in a recent blog post emphasises that we should not rebrand existing frameworks without addressing the underlying issues. Instead, we should concentrate on how skills can be applied in real-world situations to achieve meaningful results.
2. Between Sessions
The learning journey often extends beyond formal training sessions. With the rise of blended learning models, there is an increasing expectation for participants to apply their learning in between sessions. However, many organisations struggle with taking this expectation beyond practising the skill between sessions.
Traditionally, we had clear phases of learning—before, during, and after training. However, the complexity of modern learning environments blurs these boundaries. Not only do many individuals find it challenging to integrate new skills into their daily routines when faced with the demands of their roles, they keep the new skills associated with the learning, separating them from their day-to-day role.
To address this, we need to create intentional opportunities for deliberate reflection between sessions. Simply giving participants time to practise skills isn’t sufficient; we must foster an environment where they feel empowered to make decisions about how they apply their learning, connecting consistently with the day-to-day. This involves providing ongoing support and accountability to help embed new behaviours into their workflows.
3. Scaling the Blend
The shift towards blended learning has opened new avenues for scaling effective training programmes. Post-COVID, organisations have the opportunity to leverage technology alongside human interaction to enhance learning experiences.
One significant advantage of this blended approach is the ability to pair learning with coaching and meaningful reflection. Research shows that combining coaching with training can lead to a fourfold increase in effectiveness. However, it’s vital that coaching is aligned with the learning process rather than treated as a separate entity.
By integrating coaching into action plans generated during training, we can enhance individual accountability and ensure that learnings are directly applied in real-world contexts. This alignment creates a powerful synergy that fosters behavioural change and drives performance improvement.
As organisations navigate the evolving landscape of learning and development, embracing these three implications—Skills Obsession, Between Sessions, and Scaling the Blend—will be crucial for achieving effective learning transfer. By focusing on the application of skills, facilitating practice and reflection between sessions, and leveraging blended learning approaches, organisations can maximise their learning outcomes.
Photo by Sierra Koder on Unsplash