Factors affecting the transfer generalisation and maintenance of interpersonal skills related to conflict resolution and leadership

Abstract

This thesis examined transfer generalisation and maintenance of conflict resolution and leadership knowledge, skills and attitudes to the workplace. The main aim was to examine training transfer in terms of the generalisation and maintenance of these interpersonal skills, and how these processes are influenced by multiple individual and organisational factors. A review of relevant research suggested that separate and concurrent consideration of transfer generalisation and maintenance may help to explain previous inconsistent research results. Understanding relevant factors facilitating generalisation and/or maintenance may also help explain the reported poor transfer and cost effectiveness of many training programs. Individual factors examined in this series of studies included self-efficacy, motivation (intrinsic motivation, motivation to learn, and motivation to transfer), organisational commitment, transfer implementation intentions, and emotional intelligence. Organisational factors examined included organisational support, social and goal-setting cues, opportunity to use/practice skills, and perceived support and barriers to training transfer. The first study examined the transfer generalisation of conflict resolution skills in relation to medical and nursing undergraduates (n=158). Results found the individual factors, motivation-to-learn and attitudes to interprofessional learning, predicted transfer generalisation of conflict resolution skills immediately after training, with a significant difference between the groups. The difference was attributed to the lack of clinical placements (organisational relevancy) for medical students at the time of training. The second study examined transfer of conflict resolution skills retrospectively for medical and healthcare professionals (n=64), up to three years post-training. Results showed both individual and organisational factors were important for transfer generalisation and maintenance. The third study examined training transfer of managerial-leadership skills for managers (n=147), up to fourteen years post-training. Results supported Study two; both individual and organisational factors were important for transfer generalisation and maintenance. Results from qualitative data provided support for examining transfer generalisation and maintenance separately in the same study. The fourth study examined transfer generalisation and maintenance of skills from two managerial-leadership programs (n=36). Mixed methodology of a survey at baseline, post-training and three-month follow-up, plus interviews, was employed. For transfer generalisation, results found that only individual factors were important immediately after training, but both individual and organisational factors were important three months after training. For transfer maintenance however, only organisational factors were important, measured three months post-training. Together with qualitative data results, this study also provided support for examining transfer generalisation and maintenance separately in the same study. Overall, this dissertation found different combinations of individual and organisational factors were associated with transfer generalisation and maintenance of interpersonal skills. Future research needs to examine the construct validity of these two transfer processes to confirm their examination concurrently as recommended in this thesis. Theoretical implications include the need to consider transfer generalisation and maintenance as separate overlapping processes in the transfer of complex interpersonal skill-sets to the workplace. Practical implications include the need for organisations to consider both relevant individual and organisational factors that facilitate transfer generalisation and maintenance to maximise workplace training program return-on-investment.