Reverse training transfer: The social dynamics of developing safe work practices

Abstract

This article contributes to the debate on training transfer by introducing a model of reverse training transfer that emphasizes the social dynamics of maritime safety training and work practices. The importance of social dimensions is frequently highlighted and often described as organizational or workplace factors in existing literature, but only a few studies have investigated this in more detail. Most studies conceptualize transfer as an individual, linear process from the training event to the workplace. Few existing studies include the social dimensions of learning, let alone considering the reciprocity between different learning opportunities that takes place throughout a professional path, or discussing training transfer as a continuous process in professionals’ careers. The goal of this article is to address these knowledge gaps by asking the following research question: How can the social dynamics in safety training be conceptualized, and why is this important to enhance the trajectory of training transfer? We use a descriptive, exploratory case study of maritime deck officers to investigate this, and the empirical material stems from participant observations on board ships and simulator-based training programs. Our analysis emphasizes the reciprocity between training episodes and the workplace, highlighting learning as a collective process among reflective practitioners. This is conceptualized as reverse training transfer.

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