Transfer to the shop floor: from learning to doing
Transfer is the question of whether what someone learns really ends up in the work. It happens less often than we would like. The causes lie only partly in the training itself: the environment, the manager and the moment also determine whether something gets applied. This article shows what you can do at each of those places.
- The transfer problem
- Before: a goal that touches the work
- During: practise in a situation that resembles the work
- After: the environment allows it and asks for it
- The manager is the key
- An example: applying a conversation model
- Making transfer visible
- Checklist for a learning journey that lands
- A timeline for the first weeks after the learning journey
- Repeating with application
The transfer problem
A training can be excellent and still change nothing. After the course everyone goes back to their usual work, with its usual rush, systems and habits. What was new becomes an extra step, and under pressure an extra step drops out. That is not unwillingness, it is human.
That is why transfer has three places where it can go wrong: before, during and after the learning.
Before: a goal that touches the work
Transfer starts before the training, with the learning goal. Is the goal a behaviour that delivers something at work? Do the learner and their manager know why it matters? A learning journey that starts with "what will you do differently afterwards?" has a better chance than one that starts with "you need to know this". See designing the complete learning journey.
During: practise in a situation that resembles the work
The more the practice situation resembles the work situation, the greater the chance the skill comes along. That is the principle behind three parts of CoVince:
- A conversation with a CrewMate in a situation that resembles your real conversations. See practising with an AI role-play.
- A scenario game with roles and incomplete information, as in a real incident. See scenario games.
- A 3D scene of the real place, in the browser or in VR. See 3D simulations.
After: the environment allows it and asks for it
After the training, the work environment decides a lot. May the learner try out the new behaviour? Does the manager ask about it? Are the tools there? Here it helps that learning is in the same platform as the work: an assignment in the learning journey that the learner carries out in real work, a chat where they can ask a question, a workflow that shows a short refresher at the right moment. See learning in the flow of work.
The manager is the key
Of all factors the manager is often the most important. A manager who asks "what did you learn and when will you apply it?" does more than an extra module. So give managers something to work with: insight into progress, a report from the learner to start a conversation with and a growth path in which what was learned counts.
An example: applying a conversation model
A team learns a conversation model for coaching conversations. In the training it goes well. A month later almost nobody uses it, because in ordinary work there is no time to follow a model. What would have helped? A short refresher the week after, a practice conversation with a CrewMate just before a real conversation, the manager asking "which conversation will you hold with the model this week?" and a place in the chat to share how it went.
None of those things is spectacular. Together they form an environment in which the new behaviour is noticed, asked for and helped. That is what transfer means in practice.
Making transfer visible
You do not measure transfer in the learning journey, but in the work. Choose a behaviour that can be seen and agree who keeps track of it: a manager who observes three conversations in four weeks, a shared checklist, a short reflection from the learner. A personal report from the learning journey gives the starting point of that conversation.
Keep it light. A heavy measurement gets skipped. One question per month ("where did you apply it and what happened?") already yields more than nothing. See measuring learning.
Checklist for a learning journey that lands
- Is the goal a behaviour that is visible at work?
- Does the manager know what the learner is learning and why?
- Does the practice situation resemble the work situation?
- Is an application at work agreed after the learning, with a date?
- Is there a place to ask questions and share experiences?
- Do you look back after a month, with the learner and their manager?
The more questions you answer with yes, the greater the chance that what was learned is really used.
A timeline for the first weeks after the learning journey
Transfer is a process of weeks, not a moment. Week 1: the learner applies one thing and briefly shares what happened, for example in the chat or with a voice report. Week 2: a short repetition with a case that connects to the experience. Week 4: a conversation with the manager, with the report as a starting point. Week 8: a last check whether the behaviour persists, and a decision on what is still needed. That way you keep what was learned alive until it is a habit.
Repeating with application
After the learning comes the repetition. Short moments in the calendar that make the learner do it once more, preferably with an assignment in real work. That connects to spaced repetition: the repetition is the bridge.
- Agree an application that can happen within a week.
- Have the learner report back after a week (chat, voice report).
- Look together at whether it worked and what stood in the way.
Frequently asked questions
What is transfer in learning?
That what someone learns is also applied at work.
Why does training often not land?
Because the work environment, rush and habits get in the way of the new behaviour, and because the goal is often not tied to the work.
What helps most?
A goal that touches the work, practice in a situation that resembles the work, and an environment and manager that make the behaviour possible.
How does CoVince support transfer?
By putting learning in the same platform as the work, with practice situations close to the work and reports that managers can start a conversation with.