| If a physician diagnosed only 15% of a patient's terminal cancer could be removed through extensive, costly, and painful measures, the patient's reaction to this dismal diagnosis would be denial. However, when organizations accept a transfer of learning average of less than 15%, an industry standard, organizations are succumbing to a cancer that is needlessly destroying the human capital resources that have been invested to maintain a competitive advantage (Baldwin & Ford, 1988; Brinkerhoff & Gill, 1994; Burke & Baldwin, 1999). In fact, the 2011 American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) State of the Industry Report estimated that U.S. organizations spend ;Therefore, organizations must identify and effectively weave the factors affecting learning transfer into training and performance improvement strategies; thereby, shifting away from an event-based to a performance-based approach to learning. The purpose of this study is to identify factors in the automotive industry environment that correlate most strongly with positive behavioral change (transfer of learning) and a null or negative behavioral change. Once identified, those factors can then be either fostered and enhanced or respectfully mitigated in future performance improvement interventions to increase the value delivered by the organization's training and development efforts.;To examine the transfer of learning phenomena, this case study employed Brinkerhoff's (2006b) Success Case Method and was designed to identify the processes, human and environmental factors that hindered or contributed to the transfer of learning in the workplace. The success case method purposefully samples learners to measure and document transfer of learning to the job by interviewing learners who were successful in applying the learning from the training program and those whom were least successful in applying the learning. This study surveyed engineers attending the engineering orientation course, who were in their roles less than three years, representing various positions, and departments across the organization. The online survey instrument measured four different perspectives and the correlative competencies from the engineering orientation course. Within these perspectives the various competencies were measured to determine the levels of application. The purpose was to assess individual application or transfer of the competencies that are critical to the engineering mindset of ABC Automotive. These competencies were measured based on the learner's response using a five-point Likert scale of 0 = Unable to rate, 1 = have not tried this, 2 = tried but cannot report any result, 3 = tried but have not noticed a result, and 4 = tried and achieved concrete/positive result. As a result, this study highlights that there continues to be an issue with the successful application of learning transfer within organizations today. The findings do support many factors and learning transfer strategies identified within the landmark and current literature on transfer of learning. |
