Team processes that support learning play a key role in enabling individual development to increase work performance and results. Yet, empirical research clarifying how such support translates into work performance remains limited. This study aims to focus on the role of informal transfer activities (ITAs), defined as informal behaviors aimed at sustaining the transfer of competencies promoted in formal learning. Building on the theoretical model of team learning, the purpose of this study is to investigate a learning mechanism that links team support to performance, hypothesizing the mediating role of ITAs and the consequences on actual results.
A total of 111 saleswomen from a cosmetics company, organized into teams, completed an online survey. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test hypothesized associations.
Results confirmed the mediating function of ITAs in the relationship between team support for learning and team performance. Furthermore, a significant sequential indirect effect was observed, linking team support to team results via ITAs and performance.
These findings emphasize the relevance of the informal learning activities aimed at sustaining the transfer of formal training. The practical implications suggest to organizations and leaders how to sustain, facilitate and value learning in teams to achieve better performance and actual results.
