The influence of individual and organizational factors on the post-program transfer of training: a study of management development programs of Bangladesh civil service

Abstract

The management development programs of the Bangladesh Civil Service are traditionally seen as using a piecemeal approach; no linkage is found among the program performance, transfer performance, and career advancement of trained officials. Moreover, no effective mechanism is found in public organizations to assess or monitor the issue of the post-program transfer of training. This study conducted an in-depth investigation into the factors affecting the post-program transfer of training. The study made a detailed investigation into the ultimate effectiveness of management development programs by examining the contribution of three sets of influencing factors under individual characteristics, work environment (social and logistic support), and perceived practices of learning organization the post-program transfer of training. The study was conducted on two management development courses, the Advanced Course on Administration and Development (ACAD) course and the Senior Staff Course (SSC) course, by administering a survey on 212 purposively-selected participants that took courses. Mixed methods, both qualitative and quantitative, were followed in the study. Other than the questionnaire, survey data were collected from the supervisory officers of the graduated participants through 10 in-depth interviews. Moreover, in order to cover a 360-degree dimension of the key stakeholders, 6 focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with peer-groups from different ministries, subordinates from district administrations and departments, and expert trainers from the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre and Bangladesh Civil Service Administration Academy.

In order to get answers to the research questions, five hypotheses were tested statistically and a detailed data analysis was carried out employing univariate, bivariate, and multivariate statistical techniques. All of the objectives of the research were obtained by testing the five hypotheses. Standard multiple regression analysis was used as the main technique to test the predictability of the independent variables in relation to the dependent variable—the post-program transfer of training. The findings of the study suggest that predictors such as post-program motivation and self-efficacy to transfer, peer support, and learning organizational practices, such as collaboration and team learning and the strategic link of transfer performance with career advancement, have a direct and positive influence on the post-program transfer of training. Moreover, the findings also revealed that the cohorts of the SSC graduates are better in transfer performance in comparison to the ACAD graduates. According to the model fit statistics of the multiple regression analysis of the combined factors, it was revealed that the factors explained around 39% of the total variance (adjusted R2 = .393, p< 0.001) of the post-program transfer of training. That means that there are other factors that were not included in the transfer model and that could have an influence on the post-program transfer of training in addition to the explained factors. The findings of the quantitative data were also validated by the quantitative findings. Though supervisory support, opportunity to use, and some other practices of learning organization (“inquiry and dialogue”, “capturing and sharing new learning”, “opportunity for continuous learning and self-development”, “leadership for learning and transfer”, “empowering people to have a collective vision”) were not found to be responsive to the post-program transfer of training in the quantitative analysis, from the qualitative findings it was seen that in public organizations of Bangladesh the supervisors are a bit reluctant to monitor the transfer issues of subordinates. In the same way, the graduated officers were not given sufficient logistic support for the replication of their KSAs on the job. The participants in the interviews and FGDs also opined that in public organizations, the practices of the learning organization are seldom found.

The study summarized a set of recommendations for policy planners as well as future researchers in this area. First, the sponsoring organization should create a congenial environment by extending incentive and supportive mechanisms for the transfer of training. The provision for formulating and implementing individual action plans (IAPs) for the acquired KSAs by the graduated participants and employing follow-up mechanisms may help to improve the level of the post-program transfer of training. Secondly, the sponsoring organization should promote and institutionalize the practice of team-building for the learning and sharing of ideas. Actually, in the team situation, practices such as mutual learning, sharing of ideas, joint problem solving, and collective responsibility expedite learning as well as the transfer of that learning on the job. Thirdly, considering training and development interventions as strategic issues, the sponsoring organization should make provision to link transfer performance with placement and promotion activities. The strategic linkage of training and development with career advancement has implications for the validation of human capital theory as well as the resource-based view of strategic HRD. Fourthly, further study could be embarked on using the proposed model in different contexts and settings, and future study may include training design issues in the model. The prospective researcher may amalgamate work conditions and perceived practices of learning organization the predictors of the transfer of training. Fifthly, in the current study, the definition of transfer of training was extended to include “zeal for continuous self-development” in addition to the generalization and maintenance of learning. In the current research, the extended definition of the transfer of training was validated by both qualitative and quantitative analysis. Therefore, further research could be initiated in different settings and contexts in order to establish an extended definition of the transfer of training. Lastly, in order to understand the all-out success of training and development interventions, the transfer research was found to be a piecemeal venture. In order to obtain a complete picture of the training and development process, a series of horizontal study is imperative—from training need analysis (TNA) to in-course evaluation, to end-of-course evaluation, to post-training utilization, to impact study, and finally to return on investment (ROI) research.