Training Transfer during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Study of Technology Adoption in the Training Programs

Abstract

Over the years, the idea of training has advanced with technology and gained massive momentum during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this pandemic, the organizations were compelled to integrate technology with almost every function and transform their business operations to remain competitive. This crisis made organizations expend significant efforts on the competency mapping of their employees to successfully meet the ever-dynamic demands of this pandemic. The COVID crisis required organizations to provide their employees with adequate digital skills to cope with the technological adoptions, which happened across the functions. However, COVID posed serious mental and physical challenges on people, making it hard for them to learn the intended skills, and thus, failing to internalize the training programs and thus, absence of training transfer. We used the grounded theory approach and collected data through qualitative interviews of HR professionals who belonged to multinational organizations majorly impacted by the pandemic and needed transformational measures to meet the situation. We propose a research framework that focuses on strategically arrived training need assessment supported by the availability of digital infrastructure to ensure successful transfer of implemented training programs. Further, training transfer was found to be reflected in the five different aspects of productivity, those are- self-directed groups, empowered employees, virtual collaborations, high-performance work systems, and knowledge-based HRM capacity. This research has major implications for HR professionals responsible for training, and for line managers who are accountable for training-led productivity.