Deck 9: Transfer of Training

Question 1

Evidence appears to support the notion that in order for transfer to occur, managers should follow the following steps: 1) create a transfer of training plan for employees, and 2) introduce the action plan to trainees upon completion of the training program.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Booster sessions are extensions of training programs that include the introduction of new skills and knowledge that build on the original training program-these often cover advanced topics.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

According to the textbook, near transfer of training occurs when trainees are able to apply skills learned in training to situations that are very different from those experienced in training.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Studies appear to indicate that the number one barrier to training transfer tends to be associated with poor training design.

Question 5

Work environment characteristics both pre- and post-training have been found NOT to impact training transfer.

Question 6

The textbook offers support for the existence of a positive relationship between training transfer and opportunities to practise newly acquired skills.

Question 7

Baldwin and Ford's model of "transfer of training process" has three main factors including training inputs, training outputs, and organizations.

Question 8

An important implication of Baldwin and Ford's model is that learning and retention are necessary but not sufficient conditions for transfer.

Question 9

According to the textbook, if successful transfer of training is to occur, a collaborative climate must be established among four key variables: trainees, supervisors or managers, trainers, and customers.

Question 10

The Learning Transfer System Inventory is simply a tool that measures and helps organizations diagnose their transfer system.

Question 11

Neutral transfer of training is a term used in the textbook to describe situations whereby what was learned in training is transferred to the job site with slight modification or adapted to new situations.

Question 12

Transfer of training is the generalization of knowledge and skills learned in training to the job and the maintenance of acquired knowledge and skills over time.

Question 13

Having managers attend training first sends a powerful message to other trainees that the training content is important to the company. This can be further enhanced by having managers lead certain portions of the training.

Question 14

Relapse prevention is an intervention that instructs trainees to anticipate transfer obstacles and high-risk situations in the work environment and to develop coping skills and strategies to overcome them.

Question 15

Research on training transfer found that among the work environment factors, a positive transfer climate was the strongest predictor of transfer.

Question 16

Readiness to learn and trainability may be expressed as the following equation: "Readiness to Learn and Trainability = (Ability × Management Support × Perceptions of the Work Environment)."

Question 17

Motivation to transfer has been found to be a significant predictor of positive transfer.

Question 18

The readiness to learn and trainability equation suggests that if a score on one of the three variables is low, the trainability score will also be low.

Question 19

According to Baldwin and Ford's model of the transfer of training process, trainee characteristics, training design, and the work environment have a direct effect on learning and retention.

Question 20

Self-management interventions target behavioural changes and have their basis in self-regulation and social cognitive theory.

Question 21

What conclusions can you draw from the work of Baldwin and Ford on the transfer of training process depicted in the textbook?

A) trainee characteristics have a direct effect on the work environment.
B) the work environment has a direct effect on training design.
C) learning and retention are necessary conditions for transfer.
D) learning and retention are sufficient conditions for transfer.

Question 22

Which training design element is congruent with having trainees learn the underlying principles or theories behind a particular skill?

A) identical element
B) blended elements
C) general principles
D) stimulus variability

Question 23

Debriefs are discussions that trainers have with managers about trainees' transfer experiences.

Question 24

Vertical transfer refers to transfer from the individual or trainee level upward to the managerial level.

Question 25

What are the two specific characteristics of the post-training environment that appear to have the greatest impact on trainees' ability to apply newly learned skills?

A) manager and peer support
B) learning environment and available rewards
C) available rewards and self-efficacy
D) trainees' level of experience and peer support

Question 26

The Learning Transfer System Inventory refers to all factors in the trainee, trainer, and organization that influence transfer of learning to job performance.

Question 27

If stimulus variability enables greater generalization of new skills, what type of transfer is especially important?

A) near transfer
B) far transfer
C) horizontal transfer
D) vertical transfer

Question 28

Identical elements are especially important for far transfer.

Question 29

What are the two characteristics of the work environment considered in Baldwin and Ford's model of the transfer of training process?

A) external environment and internal environment
B) training environment and on-the-job environment
C) pre-training environment and post-training environment
D) specific and general environment

Question 30

Which training transfer concept may be described as serving as the ultimate barometer of training effectiveness as it describes how changes in individual behaviour, as a result of training, impact organization-wide results?

A) horizontal transfer
B) vertical transfer
C) parallel transfer
D) positive transfer

Question 31

Tony provides negotiation training for a number of local organizations. To ensure a wide application of his lessons, Tony places trainees in negotiation situations that share the same underlying principles yet the scenarios vary. What learning principle is Tony using?

A) identical elements or principles
B) stimulus variability
C) vertical principle
D) lateral principle

Question 32

Which of the following trainee characteristics is NOT linked with training transfer?

A) cognitive ability
B) motivation to train
C) external locus of control
D) need for achievement

Question 33

Which of the following is NOT a barrier to the transfer of training?

A) resources not available to use the skills
B) no time provided to use the skills
C) the culture does not support the training
D) poor training methodology

Question 34

Which of the following barriers to the transfer of training have been found to be the most critical?

A) supervisor support and the social support system in an organization
B) time pressures and the lack of opportunities to use new skills
C) old habits that could not be changed and a reward system that is not congruent with new skills
D) the social support system and the work processes do not support the new skills

Question 35

Anderson just finished a new safety training program offered at his company's head office. A few months after returning to work, he notices that he is not applying safety measures as he should. Which of the following internal variables is most likely causing this lack of training transfer?

A) the company simply does not support safety procedures
B) the wrong training methods were used
C) a poor instructor and poor program design
D) peer pressure and lack of management support

Question 36

Valence refers to trainee beliefs about the desirability of outcomes obtained from training.

Question 37

ABC Ltd developed and launched a new leadership development program for managers with less than one year of experience. Shortly afterwards, ABC Ltd realized that the performance and behaviour of trainees actually deteriorated. What training transfer term best describes this outcome?

A) zero transfer
B) poor transfer
C) negative transfer
D) vertical transfer

Question 38

You are putting together a series of slides for a lecture you are leading in which you address the challenges associated with having "learning transfer." You want the focus of your lecture to be on individual trainee characteristics that are found to align with strong training transfer. Which of the following trainee characteristics would you identify as the strongest?

A) cognitive ability
B) motivation to transfer
C) self-efficacy
D) learning goal orientation

Question 39

If an organization is concerned about whether changes in trainee behaviour and performance transfer to organizational-level outcomes, what is it they are concerned about?

A) positive transfer
B) horizontal transfer
C) vertical transfer
D) far transfer

Question 40

After participating in a training program, workers at a local restaurant began to demonstrate greater concern for delivering a "wow" customer experience. As a result, customer satisfaction surveys undertaken by the restaurant began to show improvements in overall customer satisfaction levels, which impacted profitability. Which term describes this organizational outcome linked to training?

A) near transfer
B) horizontal transfer
C) far transfer
D) vertical transfer

Question 41

You have just been informed that you will be attending a training program. Your manager has a meeting with you to discuss the program and emphasizes the benefits that you will receive from the training. What is your manager focusing on?

A) transfer
B) motivation to transfer
C) valence
D) readiness to learn

Question 42

You are a human resource manager for a large company. Your managers have just completed a training program designed to improve the managers' interpersonal skills. Which post-training supplements would you suggest the company use based on evidence provided in the textbook?

A) self-coaching and booster sessions
B) booster sessions and upward feedback
C) self-coaching and upward feedback
D) relapse prevention and upward feedback

Question 43

Which of the following statements reflects the notion of "booster sessions"?

A) provide employees with the opportunity to review pre-training material
B) it is closely linked with notions associated with effective during-training trainee activities
C) it is an extension of a learning or training contract between a trainee and his/her supervisor
D) it is a review of the training material or a refresher course

Question 44

Which of the following is NOT referenced by Burke and Hutchins as a best practice strategy for transfer of training?

A) coach and provide opportunities to practise
B) track and measure transfer of training
C) use collaborative strategies, role plays, and small group activities
D) do a pre-training evaluation of skills

Question 45

Which of the following is a specific factor in the Learning Transfer System Inventory (LTSI)?

A) performance-outcomes expectations and motivation to transfer
B) performance-outcomes expectations and opportunities to use
C) performance-outcomes expectations
D) motivation to transfer and opportunities to use

Question 46

After completing a training program many of the trainees are having trouble applying what they learned in training on the job. They have contacted the trainer for assistance. What should the trainer do to help them?

A) relapse prevention
B) self-coaching
C) booster session
D) upward feedback

Question 47

If trainees are being asked to develop coping strategies at the end of a training program, what is the trainer probably doing?

A) goal setting
B) self-management
C) booster session
D) relapse prevention

Question 48

After completing a training program, Mathew develops transfer goals and reflects on what specific activities he will be doing over the next month to help him change his behaviour. Which strategy is Mathew using in this activity?

A) self-efficacy
B) expressiveness
C) booster session
D) self-coaching

Question 49

In addition to transfer strategies, studies have found that interventions provided after the training sessions appear to be supportive of training transfer. Which of the following is NOT classified as a post-training intervention?

A) relapse prevention
B) management directive
C) self-management
D) goal setting

Question 50

You will be leading a workshop on transfer of training geared toward improving transfer of training effectiveness. A session dealing with which of the following topics would NOT likely be a main theme for your workshop?

A) how to identify low-risk situations and how to avoid them
B) how to reflect on one's performance
C) establishing performance maintenance and improvement goals
D) how to use "upward feedback"

Question 51

Why are top executives at Finning Ltd. the first to attend training and help deliver the training programs to their managers and employees?

A) it helps top management master training content
B) it is a symbolic gesture demonstrating top management's commitment to the programs
C) it helps lower costs by reducing the number of trainers needed
D) it is part of their performance contracts

Question 52

Which of the following factors is NOT included in the readiness to learn/trainability formula?

A) ability
B) perceptions of work environment support
C) actual work environment support
D) motivation

Question 53

According to the transfer of training framework, which of the following is NOT an activity that management should do to encourage transfer after training?

A) ensure trainees have the opportunity to use skills learned during training
B) evaluate employees using performance metrics that are congruent with the newly acquired skills
C) publicly praise usage of newly acquired skills
D) evaluate performance and results irrespective of method used to accomplish performance

Question 54

Which of the following is a potential high-risk situation that may facilitate the return of pre-training behaviour?

A) relapse prevention
B) time pressures
C) abundance of resources
D) management support

Question 55

According to the transfer of training framework, what is one activity management should undertake prior to the start of a training program?

A) get employee input and involvement in the training process
B) make sure the ISD model is used
C) ensure trainees have an opportunity to apply newly learned skills on the job
D) provide supportive feedback for the usage of new skills on the job

Question 56

If a training program includes different models that model different situations, what training design element has been included?

A) identical elements
B) stimulus variability
C) general principles
D) debriefs

Question 57

Which of the following is NOT addressed in the textbook as actions trainees should take in preparation for training?

A) understand why he/she is participating
B) think about work situations that may be used as examples during training sessions
C) understand the rationale behind the chosen training design method
D) understand expectations for after-training changes in behaviour and performance

Question 58

If a training program has been designed to include identical elements, then which of the following is most likely to be a concern?

A) near transfer
B) far transfer
C) horizontal transfer
D) vertical transfer

Question 59

The key benefit of the Learning Transfer System Inventory is that it recognizes the importance of a systematic approach to transfer of training. Which of the following statements is NOT aligned with the principles or conclusions of this diagnostic tool/model?

A) barriers to transfer vary from company to company; therefore, interventions to improve transfer need to be unique to each company
B) once the transfer resistance points are identified, the model offers implementable solutions to mitigate the resistance points
C) it identifies various variables both specific to a training program and general that may impact transfer
D) the diagnostic nature of the tool/model works well in pinpointing areas for intervention using 16 variables

Question 60

The provision of which of the following is NOT a typical item in a supervisor's training support contract?

A) time for the employee to complete pre-course assignments
B) release time for attendance and assurance that the employee's workload is transferred to others while in training
C) an opportunity for the trainee to deliver feedback as to the effectiveness and relevance of the training
D) timely opportunities to implement the skills and reinforce new behaviours upon the return of the trainee

Question 61

What are post-training supplements and what is the purpose of them? Briefly describe two post-training supplements.

Question 62

What is a transfer of training intervention and what is the purpose of such interventions? Briefly describe two transfer of training interventions.

Question 63

Describe activities trainers can do before, during, and after training to improve the transfer of training process.

Question 64

Describe activities trainees can do before, during, and after training to improve the transfer of training.

Question 65

a) Using an example, describe how improvements in behaviour and performance may impact organizational performance through vertical transfer of training.?b) Is it possible to have horizontal transfer yet organizational effectiveness does not improve? Explain.

Question 66

a) List at least six barriers to transfer of training.?b) Identify potential strategies organizations can use to mitigate the six barriers you have identified. You may use an example.?a)

Question 67

Describe and distinguish between the terms "horizontal transfer" and "vertical transfer."

Question 68

Describe things that management can do before, during, and after training to improve the transfer of training.

Question 69

Drawing on the work of Elwood Holton and colleagues, define the transfer system and discuss its implications for dealing with transfer of training problems in organizations..