Research Paper: Integrating Coaching Solutions to Enhance Learning Transfer in Organizations

7/30/2019 Research Paper: Integrating Coaching Solutions to Enhance Learning Transfer in Organizations

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I n t e g r a t i n g C o a c h i n g t o E n h a n c e L e a r n i n g T r a n s f e r

Research Paper Assessment

Name: Jamie McKennaDate: 7/15/2012Student ID: 264902Email: [email protected]

Complete your 2000 word research paper and insert it in the space below.Then email this document as an attachment [email protected]

Word Count: 2497

INTEGRATING COACHING SOLUTIONS TO ENHANCELEARNING TRANSFER WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS

International Coach Academy Research Paper Assessment

Jamie McKenna, COO, Dynamic Perspectives

2012 Dynamic Perspectives, Inc. All rights reserved
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE

Introduction........3

Learning Transfer Defined............................................................3

Scrap Learning Defined..........3

Helpful Definitions........3

Corporate Training Expenditures.........4

Training Delivery Methods........ 4

Types of Training Content......5

Scrap Learning......5

Learning Transfer.....6

Case Study 1......7

Results.....8

Case Study 2.... 10Results.......10

Conclusion.....11

Bibliography......12

2012 Dynamic Perspectives, Inc. All rights reserved 2


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INTEGRATING COACHING SOLUTIONS TO ENHANCE LEARNING

TRANSFER WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS

Introduction :

There are various coaching solutions that when used in conjunction with

education and/or training within organizations greatly enhances the transfer of

knowledge to the use of and/or application on the job. The purpose of this

research paper is to explore the impact of coaching, when used in conjunctionwith traditional training methods and how integrating various coaching solutions

enhances learner (employee) productivity and performance, in addition to

maximizing training and development investment spend.

Definitions

Knowledge Transfer or Learning Transfer is defined by Alexander and

Murphy (1992) as the process of using knowledge or skills acquired in one

context in a new or varied context.

Positive transfer occurs when learning in one context improves performance in

some other context, according to the International Encyclopedia of Education

(1992)

Scrap Learning defined by Berk (2008) is learning which is successfully

delivered but not applied by the learner to their job or the measurable amount of

learning that is lost after training.



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Instructor-led training the e-Learning Competence Center describes this as a

learning event organized by an instructor and held at a particular location and

E-Learning to mean that you develop skills and obtain knowledge using

electronic means.

Corporate Training Expenditures

In todays rapidly changing and competitive business environment, high-skilled

human capital is critical for organizational success and comes with a price.

Training Magazine (2011) reported that U.S. training expendituresincluding

payroll and spending on external products and servicesjumped 13 percent to$59.7 billion in 2011. Some 32 percent of respondents reported that their training

budget increasedup from 24 percent last year. Likewise, training payroll

increased substantially, from $25.7 billion to $31.3 billion, and spending on

outside products and services jumped more than $2 billion to $9.1 billion.

Corporations spent over 52.8 Billion dollars on training expenditures in 2010, so

its understandable that growing attention is being given to scrap learning.

Training that results in low yield through the lack of direct application to the job

results in high costs, both direct and through lost opportunity, time and energy

within organizations.

Training Delivery Methods

In 2011, 41.6% of training hours were delivered by a standard-delivery instructor

-led in a classroom setting (45% by small and midsize companies vs. 30% for

larger organizations), 24% of hours were delivered using blended learning

techniques (a combination of methods; similar for small, mid and large sized



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brought about by the program was lost . For example: Sales people try out the

new skills for a few sales calls, find that they feel awkward or the new method

isnt bringing instant results and subsequently, go back to their old ways.

Learning Transfer

According to a study conducted by Holton, Bates and Ruona (2000), the

literature on transfer of learning has been largely concentrated in two areas. The

first is about understanding what the transfer of learning is and what affects it.

The second involves the measurement of transfer factors. Since Baldwin and

Ford (1988), researchers have generally viewed transfer as being affected as asystem of influences. In their model, it is seen as a function of three sets of

factors: trainee characteristics, including ability, personality and motivation;

training design, including a strong transfer design with appropriate content; and

the work environment including support and the opportunity to use. This research

paper will focus primarily on the last variable the environment (support and the

ability to use).

According to Wick, Pollack and Jefferson (2010), the single biggest source of

learning transfer fails in the post-training period (50-75%) which is attributed

to the lack of management engagement, accountability and follow-thru.

Brinkerhoff (1995) discovered, however, that learning transfer rates

increased 12% when management was engaged in the process.

The 70/20/10 Model is a Learning and Development model based on research by

Lombardo and Eichinger (1996). The concept states that development typically

begins with realization of a need and motivation to do something about it and



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that a blend of different learning approaches "in concert" can provide powerful

learning, and "the odds are that development will be:

70% from on-the-job experiences, tasks, and problem solving

20% from feedback and from working around good or bad examples of theneed 10% from courses and reading

As described by B.F. Skinner (1964), Education is what survives when what has

been learned has been forgotten. Developing people is not a one and done

activity that ends with a certificate of completion. Intentional follow-up is required

for transfer of knowledge and real application to occur. First we need to acquire

the knowledge, skills, behaviors and/or competencies. Then we need to begin

the process of applying what weve learned for significant behavioral changes

and performance improvement to occur. The following case studies demonstrate

the effective use of coaching as a solution in accelerating the transfer of

knowledge to job application.

CASE STUDY #1

Subsequently, Xerox has also been faced with the urgency to develop next-

generation leaders. Through a partnership with the Center for Creative

Leadership (2005), Xerox has taken this complex challenge and turned it into a

recipe for success by creating the Xerox Emerging Leaders Program (ELP). The

ELP is a five-month program that blends face-to-face sessions, Web-based

learning platforms, online assessment, personal executive coaching and internal

mentoring. Originally developed for Xeroxs North American operations, ELP got

its start in 2001 when Xerox challenged CCL to create a program that would

prepare a pool of up-and-coming employees for leadership roles. The employees2012 Dynamic Perspectives, Inc. All rights reserved 7


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levels. 92% of raters reported observing impact at the individual level and 96%

reported observing impact at the organizational level.

The top areas of individual impact include: Leadership Effectiveness; Readiness

for leadership responsibilities; Using feedback to make changes and an ability to

coach others in the organization.

The top areas of organizational impact include: Ability to work with other groups;

Quality of decision making processes; Group effectiveness and Openness to

diverse perspectives. 96% of participants reported having made some or

significant improvements in their targeted developmental areas. The two areas of greatest behavioral change were increased self awareness and better skills in

receiving and giving feedback. These areas were also rated as most relevant by

participants. The interview data revealed enhanced communication, more

effective goal setting, and increased personal effectiveness as key individual and

organizational outcomes.

All LDP programs conducted in Europe between September 2006 and

September 2007 received average satisfaction ratings above 4.0 on a 5 point

scale. Fifteen of the 18 (83%) programs conducted had averages between 4.5

and 5.0. Six out of 8 (75%) Learning Outcomes were met on average to a great

extent or to a very great extent. Seven out of 8 (75%) Learning Outcomes

received an average rating of being important to a great extent or to a verygreat extent.

According to this report, the two most valuable aspects of the LDP were both the

private coaching session and the peer feedback session.



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Case Study #2

The following research examines the effects of adding executive coaching to

classroom training in a public sector municipal agency.

In a study conducted by Olivero, Bane, and Kopelman (1997), thirty-one

participants (top-level managers, mid-level managers, and supervisors at a

health agency in a major Northeastern city) participated in this action research,

volunteering to participate in both phases: Phase One consisted of classroom

training a conventional managerial program, Phase Two entailed one-on-one

executive coaching for a total of eight weeks.Results

Training increased productivity by 22.4 percent. The coaching increased

productivity by 88.0 percent - a significantly greater gain compared to training

alone.

There are a number of explanations for the dramatic increase in productivity as a

result of coaching. The coaching phase consisted of one-on-one interactions

emphasizing (1) goal-setting, (2) collaborative problem solving, (3) practice, (4)

feedback, (5) supervisory involvement, (6) evaluation of end-results, and (7)

public presentation. While all of the steps in the coaching were important, goal-

setting and public presentation were deemed as most critical.

With one-on-one executive coaching, the coach and the coachee worked

together to define concrete actions (goals) that coachees would undertake by

the end of the coaching phase. In order for goal-setting to be effective, the goal:



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must be specific, challenging, measurable, assignable, realistic, and time-bound.

All these conditions existed in the present action research intervention.

As a result, goal-setting led to higher transfer and enhanced perceived self-

efficacy. Because one-on-one coaching provided participants with hands-on

experience performing the tasks they had learned about in training, they were

able to receive feedback regarding the results of their actions from the job itself

(when production and productivity were measured), organizational peers,

superiors, coaches and customers. Consequently, they saw the extent to which

their newly-acquired knowledge had been converted to practical skills that hadpositive utility. In essence, the positive reinforcement from all sources enhanced

participants' self-efficacy.

Conclusion

The US alone, spends almost 60 billion dollars per year on training expenditures,

with the purpose of creating better leaders, managers, sales professionals and

skilled employees through numerous educational delivery methods.

There are critical components in factoring learning transfer rates, such as learner

readiness, instructional design effectiveness, creation of post-training

expectations, measurement and follow-up - all which impact bottom line results,

ROI and training and development spend.

Integrating a coaching solution positively impacts the transfer of learning when

combined with traditional training methods, as evidenced in this research paper.

Coaching can accelerate the process of assimilating information gained through



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training and assist in the realistic application of learnings, thus reducing scrap

learning rates and increasing ROI from training and development spend.

Only through the actual application of knowledge, skills, behaviors and

competencies learned, can organizations realize measurable bottom line results

in the form of increased employee productivity, performance and greater job

satisfaction.

Bibliography

Alexander, P.A.; Murphy, P.K. Nurturing the Seeds of Transfer: A Domain-Specific Perspective. International Journal of Educational Research, v31 n7p561-76, 1999.

International Encyclopedia of Education, Second Edition, Oxford, England:Pergamon Press September 2, 1992

Berk, J., The managers responsibility for employee learning, Chief LearningOfficer, 7(7), 46 2008

E-Learning Competence Center (LLC), www.elcc.gov

Training Magazine/www.trainingmag.com ; Training Industry Report 2011, p23-35

Fitzpatrick, R. The strange case of the transfer of training estimate , Industrial-Organizational Psychologist, 39(2), p1819, 2001

Brinkerhoff, R.O., The Current State of Scrap Learning and Manager Engagement, Knowledge Advisors symposium, 2010, Washington, D.C.

Fitzpatrick, R., The strange case of the transfer of training estimate. Industrial-

Organizational Psychologist, 39(2), p1819, 2001

Xerox coaching study, report by Business Wire, July 30, 2001

Holton, E. F., Bates R. A., & Ruona W. E., Development of a generalized learning transfer system inventory, Human Resource Development Quarterly,11(4), p333-360, 2000



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Baldwin, T., & Ford, J. K., Transfer of training: A review and directions for futureresearch , Personnel Psychology, 41, p63105, 1988

Wick, C., Pollack, R. and Jefferson, A., The Six Disciplines of BreakthroughLearning: How to Turn Training and Development into Business Results , p. 165,

Pfeiffer 2010Brinkerhoff, R. O., & Montesino, M. U., Partnerships for training transfer: Lessonsfrom a corporate study , Human Resource Development Quarterly , 6 (3), p263269, 1995

Lombardo, Michael M. and Robert W. Eichinger, T he Career Architect Development Planner . Lominger Limited, Inc. p. 4, 1996

Center for Creative Leadership, Case Study: Xerox Corporation - Blended Learning Prepares Leaders Around the World , www.ccl.org, 2005

Lineberry, I., Nash, W, Steed, J., Holle, E., Hannum, K, The European CCLLeadership Development Program (LDP) - Impact and Evaluation Report, Nash,p 2-3, 2008

Olivero, G., Bane, K.D., and Kopelman, R.E., Executive coaching as a transfer of training tool: Effects on productivity in a public agency , Vol 26, Public PersonnelManagement, p461-469, 1997.

Skinner, B.F., New Scientist, May 21, 1964


Research Paper: Integrating Coaching Solutions to Enhance Learning Transfer in Organizations

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