Training takes root when the boss has been, too: Vancouver Island Health Authority study shows what makes learning “stick”

Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to understand what contributes to the transfer back to the workplace of soft‐skill leadership training.

Design/methodology/approach

The study draws on information from a study carried out at Vancouver Island Health Authority, Canada.

Findings

The paper reveals that the greatest inhibitor to transfer appears to be the fear of breaking cultural norms and the most important remedy, the number of other managers who receive the training. In particular, having one's boss take the same training is strongly associated with post‐training utilization.

Practical implications

The paper points to the need to plan for the rapid diffusion of training, and for cultural‐change processes to run in parallel with leadership‐development courses.

Originality/value

The paper shows that some people are motivated to transfer their training back to the workplace because the organization has “invested” in them.

Citation

(2008), "Training takes root when the boss has been, too: Vancouver Island Health Authority study shows what makes learning “stick”", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 16 No. 7, pp. 16-17. https://doi.org/10.1108/09670730810911341