When Policy Meets Practice: Understanding Workplace Learning Transfer in Institutional HRD Systems

Abstract Book of the 3rd International Conference on Leadership, Culture, and Talent Management

Year: 2026

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When Policy Meets Practice: Understanding Workplace Learning Transfer in Institutional HRD Systems

Wallapa Suengkamolpisut, Palita Sittivach

ABSTRACT:

In rapidly transforming workplaces shaped by digitalisation, hybrid work, and evolving labour-market demands, organisations increasingly rely on continuous upskilling to sustain workforce capability. Despite formal Human Resource Development (HRD) policies and institutional investment, participation in learning initiatives and the transfer of learning into workplace practice remain inconsistent. This study addresses the persistent policy–practice gap by examining how employees perceive, engage with, and enact workplace learning within institutional HRD systems.
Guided by Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and the Capability–Opportunity–Motivation–Behaviour (COM-B) model, the study conceptualises workplace learning transfer as a behavioural process influenced by both individual motivation and organisational conditions. Adopting a qualitative interpretivist approach, the research employs a case-study design focusing on non-academic staff in higher-education institutions in Thailand. Data are being collected through semi-structured interviews across multiple administrative and professional functions to capture employees’ lived experiences of accessing, participating in, and applying institutional upskilling support.
Thematic analysis will be conducted using a combined inductive–deductive approach, enabling theoretical sensitisation while remaining grounded in participants’ narratives. By integrating SDT and COM-B, the study aims to illuminate how motivation, capability, and opportunity interact to shape learning engagement and transfer within policy-driven HRD contexts. The research is expected to contribute theoretical insight into workplace learning transfer as enacted behaviour and offer practical guidance for HRD leaders seeking to design more inclusive, accessible, and sustainable workforce learning systems.

Keywords: Behaviour change; Capability; Human resource development; Motivation; Workplace learning