The study presents the physical environment as an emerging factor impacting training transfer and proposes to position this variable in the Baldwin and Ford (1988) model of the training transfer process. The amended model positions workplace design, one element of the physical environment, as a part of organizational context in the work…

An ethnographic study of 24 office workers trained in supervisory skills used heuristic elicitation methodology. Workplace design was a key organizational factor impeding or facilitating transfer of training. Design features that did not support privacy were the most frequent impediment. Management support was also an important factor. (Contains…

Interviews with 12 older (ages 60 to 78) and 12 younger (ages 38 to 53) administrators showed that they had similar perceptions of the physical features and privacy issues in the workplace that facilitate or impede work. Structural accommodations may not be necessary for older workers, but attention to design and privacy issues is necessary for…

A survey of 120 administrators (59 aged 60+, 61 aged 35-50) found that both groups had similar perceptions of the association between office design and work activities. Older and younger workers ranked certain design features differently, and they had different perceptions of the privacy features of the work environment. (SK)