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Research has established that 38%, 56% and 66% of training is not transferred to work immediately, six months and 12 months after training, respectively. This has led scholars to advocate the continuous examination of factors that enhance training transfer to have a comprehensive understanding of the factors that enhance it. As a result, this study aims to examine transfer opportunity as a pretraining factor and its influence on assimilated training content (in-training factor); the influence of assimilated training content on motivation to transfer (post-training factor) and training transfer; the influence of motivation to transfer on training transfer; and the mediating role of motivation to transfer in the relationship between assimilated training content and training transfer.

A structural equation model is developed to test the five hypotheses formulated in this study using survey data obtained from 195 respondents who attended various training programs across different organizations. Following the assessment of the measurement model, the determination of the significance of the hypothesized paths is assessed based on the bias-corrected and accelerated confidence intervals obtained from the bootstrapping of 10,000 subsamples.

The findings of this study are that: transfer opportunity positively influences assimilated training content; assimilated training content positively influences motivation to transfer and training transfer; motivation to transfer positively influences training transfer; and motivation to transfer plays a complementary mediation role between assimilated training content and training transfer.

The nature of the work environment regarding the opportunity to transfer training influences trainees’ assimilation of the training content when they undergo training. Hence, organizations need to ensure that employees are always afforded the opportunity to transfer training content assimilated from previously attended training programs to assimilate the content of subsequent training programs. Furthermore, for training to culminate in training transfer, organizations and, more specifically, learning and development practitioners ought to pay attention to trainees’ assimilation of the content of training programs.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to empirically consider transfer opportunity as a direct antecedent of assimilated training content. More so, it is one of few studies to empirically examine the influence of assimilated training content on training transfer.

Training cannot be effective if trainers are not pedagogically competent. However, the influence of trainers’ pedagogical competencies on employees’ knowledge and skill acquisition during training is not given the needed attention in the training literature. This study aims to examine the influence of trainers’ pedagogical competencies such as delivery, trainees’ involvement, use of visual aids and body language on trainees’ assimilation of training content.

The data are analyzed from 425 respondents in an online survey. This study uses structural equation modeling in testing the hypotheses following validity and reliability tests.

This study finds that trainers’ pedagogical competencies such as trainee involvement and body language have a significant influence on trainees’ assimilation of training content, but others such as the trainers’ delivery and use of visual aids do not have a significant influence on assimilation of training content.

Professionals responsible for training should endeavor to use trainers who have been proven to be pedagogically competent, especially involving trainees during training and use of body language and not just experts in the topics/areas they provide training. Trainers themselves should on their part do well to acquire pedagogical skills in addition to the content knowledge they possess to enhance their training effectiveness particularly, trainees’ assimilation of training content.

As a phenomenon rarely given attention, this study urges learning and development researchers and practitioners as well as human resource management professionals to give attention to the pedagogical competencies of trainers during training and trainees’ learning.

The purpose of this study is to highlight the role of individual and training design factors on training transfer.

A review of the literature is conducted, and this review highlights a dual role of perceived content validity in the form of increasing self‐efficacy and the role of trainees' reaction. The study suggests that transfer design factors improve performance self‐efficacy and reaction measures work as a bridge between content validity and transfer motivation. In addition, the role of transfer design in training transfer theory is explained.

A combination of variables is proposed, suggesting further investigation to build a strong training transfer theory. The study highlights the dual role of perceived content validity as a factor to develop positive trainee reaction and increase trainee performance self‐efficacy. Furthermore, the study proposes that transfer design and perceived content validity increase trainee performance self‐efficacy, which leads to maximizing training transfer through transfer motivation. The study also explains that perceived content validity influences transfer motivation through trainee reaction, and proposes a framework coupled with future research directions.

The suggested framework provides a theoretical basis for researchers to build a strong training transfer theory. This conceptual paper elaborates the role of perceived content validity, transfer design, reaction, performance self‐efficacy and transfer motivation to substantiate training transfer theory. Future researchers should test the proposed framework empirically and highlight other factors that could increase the efficacy and motivation levels of trainees in order to maximize training transfer.

Transfer design factors in this paper provide practical implications for training transfer in general and training professionals in particular. Thus, training transfer is maximized through positive trainee reaction, which is an important facet of training. Another factor, i.e. perceived content validity, not only develops positive reaction but also increases the efficacy level of trainees. Therefore, in order to increase the performance self‐efficacy and motivation level of trainees, training professionals should focus on the content and transfer design factors to maximize training transfer.

This conceptual paper contributes to the existing training transfer literature by suggesting a combination of variables that provides a theoretical basis for building a strong training transfer theory.

This paper aims to provide an understanding of influencing motivation and volition in the transfer of learning within the context of technical training in different countries by controlling predictors.

In six countries, employees from one automotive company’s service centres were asked to complete two online questionnaires after a blended learning training program with technical content (t1: 7 to 12 days after the training, t2: 5 to 7 weeks after). In total, 441 technical staff members participated.

Results suggest that motivation and volition mediate the effects of peer support, content validity and supervisor support on training transfer after a technical training. The outcomes show that peer support has an important influence on motivation and that national culture is less important than company culture.

The results should be tested further in different trainings, companies and countries.

This is one of the first international studies to confirm peer support and content validity as predictors for motivation to transfer after technical training. It is also the first instance of exploring possible mediation by motivation and volition on peer support and content validity after technical training in an intercultural context.

The initial purpose of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of intra-organizational training for developing leadership skills and the techniques used to assimilate course content. The study aims to understand incongruities in training and assess their impacts on training effectiveness.

Qualitative research methods were used to assess a five-day course in the Israeli Defense Forces entitled, “Developing leadership skills in the spirit of the Bible.” Triangulation of data was achieved through observations, interviews and conversations with participants. Grounded theory and thematic analysis were used, respectively, to interpret and analyze the data.

Results suggest that the course did not support the development of leadership skills. The analysis revealed two themes representing different domains: form (training techniques) and content (values). Combining the two themes indicates an incongruity between the declared and actual content of the training course. Further, this incongruity is supported by the training techniques that were used in this course.

A clash of values may ensue that leads to long-term confusion and difficulties for participants of the training course and the organization.

The study makes several theoretical contributions to the literature focusing on the importance of congruence between declared and real training content, and between form and content.

Previous research has pointed to a lack of studies concerning supervision training courses. Consequently, the literature has little to suggest, and the research field is underexplored, so questions around the content and design of supervision training courses remain unanswered and need to be addressed systematically. The main aim of the present study is to explore and map whether shared content and design exist in supervisor training courses across different vocations.

A syllabus analysis is used in order to investigate characteristic features in supervisor training courses related to the professions of dentist, doctor, psychologist, police officer and teacher.

The results point to the existence of shared content in the different courses, such as an emphasis on learning and supervision theories, feedback, ethics, assessment and communication. Furthermore, the results conclude similarities in design of the courses, such as a problem-based approach, seminars, lectures and homework. Thus, there are common theoretical approaches to important supervisory competences.

Our results intend to offer possibilities to learn from different professions when improving supervisor training courses but may also constitute a starting point for developing a shared model of interprofessional supervisor competences. Furthermore, the results may support possible cooperation in interprofessional courses. This could include arranging interprofessional courses, where one part is shared for participants from the included professions and another part is profession-specific.

We seek to contribute to the research field of supervision at workplaces with knowledge and ideas about how to learn from different professions when developing and improving supervisor training courses.

The purpose of the paper is to highlight the training factors that mostly affect trainees' perception of learning and training usefulness.

A new research model is proposed exploring the relationships between a trainer's performance, training programme components, outcomes of the learning process and training usefulness. The validity of this model is tested empirically adopting the structural equation modelling approach, using data from 126 employees who have participated in different training programmes.

All the factors that constitute a training programme (trainer performance, training environment and training goals, content, material, process) have been found to affect both learning outcomes and training usefulness.

The long‐term results of a training programme are not examined.

Although all the aspects and components of the training programmes should be carefully considered by the training programme designer, training process and trainer performance have the strongest direct and indirect effect (respectively), on both learning outcomes and training usefulness.

In this study, all the factors that constitute a training programme are incorporated in a single model using data from small and medium‐sized enterprises. Overall, the final model can explain 39 and 60 percent of the variance in learning and training usefulness, respectively.

Training remains an important factor in developing the managerial effectiveness and capability of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), yet there are concerns regarding the quality of training provided to SME managers in Ghana, hence the weak managerial capabilities observed in SME management. This study, therefore, examines the impact of managerial training on the effectiveness of SME managers in Ghana.

Drawing on the human capital theory (Becker, 1962; Rosen, 1977), this study employs the variance-based estimating technique, partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) in estimating the effects of training on the managerial effectiveness of SME managers. Adopting a stratified random sampling technique, the study uses primary data collected from 506 SMEs in Ghana to test 4 hypothesised paths.

First, the model result indicates that training accessibility and training content are statistically significant in explaining managerial effectiveness at a 1% level. However, both training efficiency and training frequency are statistically insignificant in explaining managerial effectiveness in Ghana. Second, while the industry category is found to influence the relationship between training and managerial effectiveness, gender, manager's age and education are insignificant in explaining any effects.

Though the sample size is large, the findings from this study could not be generalised to the whole of Ghana since it is regionally based. The study could benefit immensely from a triangulated method where a qualitative dimension could provide deeper insight into some of the findings in this study.

Studies of this nature focussing on the managerial effectiveness of SME managers in the Ghanaian context is rare. This is one of the few studies in the Ghanaian research context which focuses on the capability development approach in the delivery of managerial training to SMEs.

This paper aims to examine the impact of predictive gamification, through a sales simulator game, as a strategy to minimize sales problems in organizations.

This empirical study was executed in a large global company that produces and markets footwear for B2B and B2C markets. The company operates in more than 18 countries and adopts the gamification to train 7,600 sellers and 10,052 professionals directly linked to the sales area. The methodology adopted followed a qualitative and exploratory approach based on an in-depth case study analysis.

Results indicated that the use of predictive gamification allowed mitigating future problems, in average, four months in advance of the arrival of the new products at the points of sale. The main findings included improvement in sales arguments, product knowledge and sales closure. The company assigns the results to the implementation of the gamification and the possibility to simulate the evaluation of the level of readiness of the sales force resources. For this, the following three primary variables emerged: adequate definition of training content, analysis of the learning process and simulation of store reality.

The authors introduced to the sales training literature the concept of predictive gamification. The predictive gamification allows anticipating and reducing future problems before the arrival of the new products in the market, improving the argument of sales, the knowledge about the products and the ratio of sales conversion of stores.

First, the content design of gamification needs to be carefully projected before the simulator development, considering the target audience and its particularities. Second, the construction of evaluation activities needs to consider contexts, actions and results. Third, monitoring the paths taken by the seller in the simulator environment is requisite. Fourth, the analysis of the results of vendor responses in the simulator environment can be obtained through learning management system reports. Fifth, the development of game simulators with advanced technologies may be done with low investment.

The findings have implications for the field vis-à-vis three main research gaps identified in the literature discussing gamification in sales training. First, the authors identified best practices from the application of gamification in sales training. Second, they showed the sales qualification processes, which can be improved by applying gamification. Third, they presented strategies of use of gamification as an approach allied to the training of sales professionals to generate enhanced sales results.

With the increased importance of training in organizations, creating important and meaningful programs are critical to an organization and its members. The purpose of this paper is to suggest a four‐phase systematic approach to designing and evaluating training programs that promotes collaboration between organizational leaders, trainers, participants and evaluators.

The paper presents a case study of a leadership training program conducted at a Midwestern corporate university. Analysis of the qualitative data from interviews with participants and field notes during the first two iterations of the program highlight three major aspects that were then used to develop a unique measure for the evaluation of subsequent iterations. The case study was conducted over a period of 31/2 years involving a total of 175 managers.

A main finding in this study was that content was three times stronger than applicability. This finding was critical in understanding the learning focus of the program and the significance of developing a unique evaluation system that is both meaningful and important to the organization and its members.

The four‐phase approach to develop unique evaluations involving both content and applicability would be of value to human resource professionals involving in designing training programs for career development of managers.

This four‐phase approach focuses on learning and development at the individual and organizational levels. It aligns with Kolb's experiential learning theory and is a process that provides a feedback system for organizations to engage in double‐loop learning to improve the design, delivery and evaluation of their training programs.