The State of Transfer of Training Research: Moving Toward More Consumer‐Centric Inquiry

• Published in: Human resource development quarterly 2017-03, Vol.28 (1), p.17-28
• Main Authors: Baldwin, Timothy T., Kevin Ford, J., Blume, Brian D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Consumer‐centric science; Training; Transfer of training
• ISSN: 1044-8004; 1532-1096
• DOI: 10.1002/hrdq.21278

Over the past 30 years, there has been an explosion of research in the human resource development (HRD) literature devoted to transfer of training ‐ and much has been learned. Yet despite recent demands for evidence‐based practice, too little of the science of transfer is informing professionals in their design and execution of training initiatives. We offer three broad prescriptions for moving future transfer research toward more consumer‐centric outcomes: (1) systematically report more and richer information related to the trainees, trainers, and organizational contexts under study; (2) focus explicitly on the optimization of transfer ‐ not just learning; and (3) expand the measurement and reporting of transfer outcomes. We conclude with a general call for transfer scholars to adopt a more consumer‐centric mind‐set where studies are designed with an eye to informing training interventions of greatest frequency and importance to contemporary organizations and training practitioners.