Abstract

This research explores the relationship between L&D opportunities and the transfer of learning in the context of complex Business Process Organizations (BPOs) in Pakistan. The study investigates how organizational factors such as business processes, management support, and organizational culture impact the transfer of learning. Using a deductive approach, data was collected from the employees in managerial positions within BPOs in Islamabad. The results indicate that L&D opportunities have a significant positive effect on the transfer of learning. The study highlights the importance of aligning training programs with organizational goals and adapting to the specific needs of employees. The findings suggest that BPOs should integrate blended learning approaches, provide ongoing feedback, and create supportive structures for learning transfer, such as peer mentoring and job relevance.

Keywords

Learning and Development Opportunities, Transfer of Learning, Business Process Organizations

Introduction

As the business landscape becomes more competitive, companies are realizing the importance of providing?Learning and Development (L&D) opportunities for employees to upskill and maximize their efficiency within the organization. Well-structured?L&D initiatives target skill gaps and empower employees with the tools to succeed in their respective positions. But in the end, one can argue that the most effective thing about these programs is not so much content, as much as it is the transfer of learning, defined?as the extent to which newly acquired knowledge and skills are actually transferred into an employee's day-to-day work and the larger work environment. The investment in training programs has continued to rise, but research suggests that the transfer of learning is sporadic at best, representing a major challenge to companies aiming to?optimize the impact of their L&D spend (Hutchins & Burke, 2007; Scales-Nimoh, 2024).

Transfer is especially important in?organizations where complex business processes cannot be performed without on-the-job training. The high complexity of these organizations, including their decision-making hierarchies, interdepartmental collaborations, and?procedures, can result in obstacles to transferring competencies they have learned in order to be successful (Biswas et al., 2024; Smith, 2024). Training content can be well-structured but how it is applied in the workplace heavily relies on contextual factors like organizational culture, management support, and training-job?fit (Iddrisu & Adam, 2024) As shown, these factors are critical in predicting the?transfer of training to on-the-job work situations (Casey et al., 2021).

However, there exists a research gap regarding how specific business?processes transfer learning (facilitating or impeding transfer). Although previous research has unpacked the variables that impact transfer, these individual and organizational variables work in dynamic?relationships and within complex business processes; few studies have enacted these relations (Milagres & Burcharth, 2019). For example, studies have shown that operational workflows, hierarchical structures, and the integration of technology?into business processes can actually enable or inhibit the application of learned skills, though empirical research on such interaction effects is limited. The stagnation in research presents an opportunity to explore more thoroughly how organizations?can develop and deliver L&D activities tailored to their working contexts.

To bridge the gap the purpose of this research?is the exploration of learning and development opportunities and the transfer of learning relationship in the context of complex Business Process Organisation of Pakistan. By exploring the relationship between business process structures and the effectiveness with which L&D enables organizations to?transfer learning into the application, the study seeks to provide insights that can help organizations make more informed choices on the design and delivery of training to enhance transfer for sustained organizational performance improvement over time.

Literature Review

Learning and Development Opportunities in the Workplace refer to activities or initiatives aimed at enhancing employees' skills, knowledge, and abilities to improve their performance and support career growth (Tones & Pillay, 2008). With the growing competition across various industries, organizations have understood the significance of providing Learning and Development (L&D) resources to?help their employees upskill and maximize their productivity within the company. Effective L&D programs address skill gaps and equip employees?with the skills they need to excel in their roles. ?Ultimately one could argue that it is not content but transfer of learning that is the most important thing about these programs, where transfer of learning is defined as the degree to which new knowledge and skills in fact transfer back into an employee's day-to-day work and the larger work environment. Training programs have continued to increase in their investment, however, the transfer of learning is patchy at best according to research, and a barrier for companies looking to?maximize their L&D spend (Hutchins & Burke, 2007; Scales-Nimoh, 2024).

Transfer?is especially critical in organizations in which formal business processes cannot be replicated without on-the-job training. The high complexity of these organizations, including decision-making hierarchies, interdepartmental collaborations, and procedures can provide noise in the learning transfer of competencies they have?been required to learn to be successful (Biswas et al., 2024; Smith, 2024). While training content can be well-structured, its application?in the workplace depends on contextual factors, such as organizational culture, management support, and training-job fit (Iddrisu & Adam, 2024) As demonstrated, such factors are crucial in forecasting the transfer of training to the on-the-job work situations (Casey et al., 2021).

However, we have observed that there is a research gap in terms of how specific business processes transfer learning?(facilitating or impeding transfer). Even though past studies have decomposed that set of contexts that affect transfer, these individual and organizational variables act in dynamic relationships and in complex business?processes; however, few studies have operated on those relations (Milagres & Burcharth, 2019). For instance, operational workflows, hierarchical structures, and the use of technology within business processes can?either enable or inhibit the application of learned skills, but research on interaction effects remains scarce. This stagnation in research provides an opportunity to explore how organizations can better?develop and deliver L&D activities relevant to their working contexts.

This study aims to explore the concepts of learning and?development opportunities and the transfer of learning relationships in the context of the complex Business Process Organisation of Pakistan. The study aims to contribute to the growing body of literature that goes beyond focusing on transfer itself, instead integrating that knowledge with how organizations structure their business processes and comparing that to the strength of the results of L&D in facilitating the application of learning,?and ultimately help organizations improve their understanding of how to design and deliver training to improve this transfer for the betterment of sustained organizational performance through time.

H₁: Learning and development opportunities have a significant effect on the transfer of learning

Consceptual Framework

Figure 1



The Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) states that learning is holistic, contextual, and motivated by interactions between individuals’ personal factors, behavior, and environment. This framework asserts that people learn by modeling the behaviors they see, the feelings Countdown exhibits, and the impact of these effects (Bandura, 1986). In organizations, SCT emphasizes the process of modeling and observational learning in the process of your employees' training, with the general statement that first employing exposure to a proper model can improve the level of training effects and Job Performance.

Methodology

A deductive approach was used for the research study. The data was gathered from the employees working at different managerial levels in the Business Process Organisations of Islamabad. The population of the study was 1410 employees working in BPOs of Islamabad.

Sample Information

The sample of the study was comprised of 303 employees. The sample size was determined through Krejcie and Morgan (1970).  The sampling technique was the convenience sampling technique. 

Data Collection and Tools

The data was gathered through questionnaires. The online questionnaires were sent to the respondents through their questionnaires. Out of 303 questionnaires 225 questionnaires were sent back completely. The unfilled questionnaires were discarded. The questionnaires were adopted from the past research articles.  The details of the questionnaires are given in the below table.

Table 1

Measurement of scale

Scale	Items	source
Learning and Development Opportunities	18	Tones & Pillay (2008)
Transfer of Learning	5	Nafukho et al (2017)

 

The above table shows the scale and their respective items. All the scales are measured on a five-point Likert scale with 1: Strongly Disagree and 5: Strongly Agree.

Results and Discussions

Frequency Distribution

Gender

The table shows the gender-wise distribution of employees. Out of 225 employees, 152 were male while the rest 73 were females. The valid percentages of males and females are 67.6 and 32.4 respectively.

Table 2

Gender 

Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
Male	152	67.6	67.6
Female	73	32.4	32.4
Total	225	100.

 

Age

Table 4.2 shows the age distribution of respondents. It portrays that employees with age brackets of 20-25 are 17 in number while the respondents from 31-35 are 66 in number making a higher portion of the employees.  In other words, out of 225 employees, those with the age bracket of 31-35 are the highest in number. While 20-25 years of employees are lowest in number.

Table 3

Age 

Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
20-25 Years	17	7.6	7.6
26-30 Years	52	23.1	30.7
31-35 Years	66	29.3	60.0
36-40 Years	55	24.4	84.45
41 and above	35	15.6	100
Total	225	100

 Education

Table 4.3 shows that out of 225 employees, 23 are BA/BSc while MA/MBA are 173. Similarly, MPhil and PhD are 23 and 6 in number. As a percentage, it is 10.2 %, 76.9 %, 10.2%, and 2.7% respectively.

Table 4

Education Distribution

Frequency	Percent	Valid Percent	Cumulative Percent
BA/BSc	23	10.2	10.2
MA/MBA/MSc	173	76.9	87.1
MS/MPhil	23	10.2	97.3
PhD	6	2.7	100
Total	225	100

Scale Reliability

The reliability of the scale was determined by using the Cronbach Alpha value. The value is considered to be good if it is equal to or below 0.70 (Izah et al., 2023). Table 4.4 shows the reliability of the scale.

Table 5

Reliability Analysis 

S.No	Variable	No of Items	Alpha Value
1	LDO	18	0.86
2	TL	5	0.82

Table 6

Correlation Analysis

1	1
2	.895	1

**Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

Table 4.5 contains the correlation coefficients among the research variables; the dependent variable is the Transfer of Learning. As shown, the dependent variable Transfer of Learning is rather strongly associated with all the factors. It reveals that, at the 0.01 level, all factors are significantly and favorably connected with the dependent variable TL.

Regression Analysis

Table 7

Regression Coefficients

	B	S.e	t	p	f
LDO	.956	.032	29.98	.000	899.131

 

The table 4.6. above displays the regression output in which the transfer of learning depends on the treatment of learning and development opportunity as independent variables and vice versa. With R2 shown as 0.801, LDO explains an 80.1% variation in the dependent variable TL. The value of the f statistic much exceeds that of the model fitness. As emphasized, the value of "t" is far over the advised threshold of +-1.96 and the p-value is less than 0.05, i.e., p < 0.05, therefore it is said that LDO is substantially associated with TL. The unstandardized coefficients come out to be 0.801, positive. A one-unit change in an independent variable will thus produce a 0.801 unit change in the dependent variable in the corresponding direction.

The results support the past literature. There is significant literature on the influence of?learning and development opportunities on the transfer of learning. Transfer of learning describes the integration of knowledge, skills, and behaviors developed during training?or educational experiences to authentic environments (Baldwin & Ford, 1988). According to several studies, the degree to which learning transfer is effective is largely determined by the quality of learning and?development opportunities offered. For example, the chances for practice with the content in a hands-on way, real-world simulations, and jobs closely matching the?content of the training itself, have all been shown to play a substantial role in transfer (Blume, Ford, Baldwin, & Huang, 2010). Furthermore, as mentioned in the theoretical and practical implications section, supervisor encouragement and peer collaboration are identified as important approaches that will help learners transfer their knowledge to the organization (Salas et al., 2012). We are also chatting about the knowledge of not just learning new skills but actually developing a plan?for workers to use those skills through training programs.

Recommendations and Future Directions

The training programs designed in BPOs should be highly specific to the workforce and should be in perfect?alignment with the organizational goals for effective learning and development opportunities. This can be addressed effectively through blended learning treatment as?well as the inclusion of a constraint of instructor-led sessions with digital e-learning, webinars, experiential learning, and certificate courses. This blended approach enables employees to learn training materials at their?convenience while still capitalizing on real-time interaction and feedback. BPOs also need to invest in technologies like learning management systems (LMS) and mobile learning platforms to enable?learning on the go as well as on demand. Focus on the relevance of the training content, regular feedback of employees should?be integrated in the development of curriculum, so that the training programs evolve with the evolving demands of the industry.

Supporting a?culture of learning transfer is also beneficial. A major takeaway is creating strong support structures so that employees are incentivized to?use the skills they gain on the job. The local community needs to be trained to provide feedback and guidance in?the relevant and everyday work environment where employees can practice. Other effective strategies are peer mentoring or coaching programs for their collaborative culture, both among two?stakeholders, as well as across teams. Additionally, and importantly, organizations need to provide positive reinforcement to?employees who successfully apply their new skills back on the job so everyone understands how learning successfully translates into job performance. BPOs can?leverage learning transfer impact by creating a conducive atmosphere for learning and integrating learning with job relevance.

Implications of the Study

The study can help HR practitioners develop policies to enhance the culture of learning and training in organizations. Such policies will help organizations to bring innovation in terms of the processes and products of the organization. Besides, the research study can be helpful in developing an HR framework for the employees. This includes the modification of the existing job description and redesigning it according to the learning and transfer of learning.

Limitations and Future Directions

Like other research studies, the current research has also several limitations that can be overcome by future researchers. For instance, the current research study has used a small sample size. Hence, the findings of the study might not be generalized. Therefore, future researchers should take a larger sample size for future studies. Moreover, the current study is based on a cross-sectional research design which can cause biases in the results. Future researchers should base their studies on longitudinal research designs to capture the detailed phenomenon of learning and development opportunities and transfer of learning. Last but not least the research study is quantitative in nature hence, future research should be qualitative for gaining more in depth insight into the issues. Above all the current research studies are based on the Business Process Organisations of Pakistan. There should be studies that take the cross-cultural contexts as their center of investigation.

References

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• Biswas, T. R., Hossain, M. Z., & Comite, U. (2024). Role of Management Information Systems in Enhancing Decision-Making in Large-Scale Organizations. Pacific Journal of Business Innovation and Strategy, 1(1), 5-18.

• Blume, B. D., Ford, J. K., Baldwin, T. T., & Huang, J. L. (2010). Transfer of training: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Management, 36(4), 1065–1105. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206309352880

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• Milagres, R., & Burcharth, A. (2019). Knowledge transfer in interorganizational partnerships: what do we know?. Business Process Management Journal, 25(1), 27-68. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/BPMJ-06-2017-0175

• Scales-Nimoh, A. (2024). Bridging the gap: Exploring organizational support and learning transfer dynamics in today’s workplace (Doctoral dissertation, Capella University).

• Smith, T. A. (2024). Improving workplace interdepartmental collaboration through organizational learning, transformational leadership, and meeting science (Doctoral dissertation, Fordham University).