Learning Transfer Is Fundamental To Strategic Human Resource Development

Training/HR engages in two types of activity--tactical and strategic.  Tactical training/HR is the stuff we are all very familiar and comfortable with.  For training departments, it is the daily task of designing and delivering training.  For HR, it is the nuts and bolts of hiring employees, benefits management, avoiding legal issues, etc.

Strategic training/HR is a higher level of practice. It is about being a strategic partner by providing your organization with people who have the expertise and competence to enable the organization to achieve its strategic goals.  It requires understanding the organization's "business" and then making sure people can perform at the level required.

What many training organizations miss is that learning transfer is fundamental to delivering on the strategic promise to the organization.  For most organizations, the lack of learning transfer is the weak link in the chain from learning to achieving strategic goals. Think about it.  If your organization must have employees at a certain level of performance to achieve its goals, and learning is required to get them to that level of performance, then by definition learning must transfer to job performance!

Tactical training/HR organizations can treat learning transfer as optional because their performance metrics tend to be activity-based (# of classes conducted, people trained, etc.).  Strategic training/HR organizations KNOW that learning transfer is not optional because their performance metrics are results-based--that is, the extent to which employees can perform at the desired levels.

Here's your homework--ask yourself (honestly) is your training/HR organization tactical, or strategic? And if you want to be strategic, isn't it time you started working on learning transfer?