Enablers and inhibitors of learning transfer from theory to practice

Abstract

The present chapter aims at investigating the role of learning transfer in training effectiveness. More precisely, the purpose is to determine the factors that enable and/or inhibit learning transfer. The focus on enablers and inhibitors stems from the concept itself which implies whether learning acquired is applied or otherwise fails to be applied. On the theoretical level, the analysis focuses on the underlying assumptions governing the phenomenon and yields to the development of a learning transfer cycle. On the empirical level, learning transfer is a worldwide issue particularly in emerging economies. Research in the Tunisian context shows a widening gap between theory and real practices contributing to some deficiencies in learning transfer. The results of a survey and a case study provide evidence that even though there is an apparent policy for learning transfer, organizational practices reveal an informal dynamic in transmitting and sharing learning. Implications for managers and employees in postrevolutionary firms are delivered.