INFLUENCE OF WORKPLACE ENVIRONMENT ON TRANSFER OF LEARNED SKILLS IN STATE CORPORATIONS IN KENYA

Abstract

The success of any training programme can be gauged by the extent to which learned skills are transferred back to the workplace and utilized by employees. This study sought to assess the influence of workplace environment on the transfer of learned skills in State Corporations in Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were: To establish the influence of management support on transfer of learned skills in State Corporations in Kenya; to determine the influence of peer support on transfer of learned skills in State Corporations in Kenya; to determine the influence of employee rewards on transfer of learned skills in State Corporations in Kenya; to establish the influence of availability of relevant resources on transfer of learned skills in State Corporations in Kenya and to assess the moderating influence of motivation on the relationship between workplace environment and transfer of learned skills in State Corporations in Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive study design and targeted employees of 202 State corporations in Kenya. The State corporations are categorized into 8 major groups and each category was considered in the study. From the 202 state corporations, the researcher obtained a sample of 20 state corporations, which form 10% of the list of State Corporations. The 20 sampled state corporations had a total 40467 employees. The researcher applied Slovin’s formula to determine the appropriate sample size and used proportionate stratified sampling to get a sample of 396 respondents for the study. Data was collected by use of structured questionnaires. Data was analyzed using SPSS Version 24 to generate descriptive and inferential statistics and presented with the help of frequency tables. Correlation analysis was used to test the direction of relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable. Regression analysis was used to test whether the independent variables had any influence on the dependent variable. The findings indicated that there exists a moderate positive and significant relationship between management support and transfer of learned skills in State Corporations in Kenya. In addition, the study established that there is a positive and significant relationship between peer support and transfer of learned skills in State Corporations in Kenya. The study also established that there is a positive and significant relationship between availability of rewards and transfer of learned skills in State Corporations in Kenya. It was also established that there is a statistically significant relationship between availability of relevant resources and transfer of learned skills in State Corporations in Kenya. In addition, the findings indicated that motivation has a significant influence on the relationship between workplace environment and transfer of learned skills in State Corporations in Kenya. Based on the findings and conclusions of this study, the researcher recommends that managers in State corporations in Kenya should regularly check whether employees put into practice what they learn in training and regularly give them feedback on how they are progressing in applying the skills learnt in training. The management should also help employees when they have problems in applying their new skills in the work place.