Maximise the ROI of leadership training

A recent study, from the University of Adelaide looked at factors that either supported or hindered “training transfer”.

Training transfer is the ability for leaders who have recently attended a training course, to master and use new skills in their workplace. A number of factors influence how well leaders can transfer and use these new skills including the extent to which their organisation’s systems and processes, managers and teams supported them.

The survey found that organisations seeking to maximise the retention and use of new skills, should encourage leaders to transfer their new skills to the workplace as soon as possible.

Organisations should provide an opportunity for leaders to use their new skills following leadership training with:

• organisational support;
• allowing time specifically to reflect, strategise and apply new skills;
• providing an opportunity for leaders to use their new skills;
• upper management being available as a ‘sounding board’ for learnings; and
• allowing colleagues to complete the same course to have a “shared language”

Deliberate strategies for training transfer are certainly worth considering.