The role of tourism in national human resource development: a Jamaican perspective

Research in the national human resource development (NHRD) field is increasingly considering unique cultural and economic conditions and the influence this may have on a number of employment-related indicators. To date, the NHRD literature has largely ignored issues related to skills training and workforce development in the tourism industry, despite the expanding nature of this dynamic service sector in many nations. This literature review study of NHRD in Jamaica examined ongoing national-level human resource development (HRD) initiatives with specific attention to the current and future impact of NHRD on the tourism industry. The results showed that governmental development plans clearly identified tourism as a key sector for economic growth to support larger economic and social development goals. Furthermore, the development of human resources in the tourism sector was seen as being of vital importance for tourism organizations and for the continued development of Jamaica. The existing NHRD literature has largely overlooked the potential influence and future role of the tourism industry to assist in education, training and development goals at the national level. Recommendations are made for additional research exploring connections between NHRD and tourism employment.     

A necessary dialogue: a South African case study exploring the role of national HRD in HIV/AIDS non-government organizations

This article makes the case for a coordinated and multi-faceted national level response to the HIV/AIDS crisis in South Africa from the field of human resource development (HRD), arguing that national policy debate on this issue must include the development of human resources in HIV/AIDS non-governmental organizations (NGOs). An exploration of potential connections between HIV/AIDS and HRD was conducted with a qualitative case study in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Through this study, four major thematic categories emerged in connection to the work of NGOs involved in the management of HIV/AIDS, government policy, and the emerging theory and practice of national human resource development (NHRD). In addition, findings pointed to the need for HRD research to be conducted in HIV/AIDS related NGOs given their front-line roles in both policy and practice. Initial suggestions for dialogue between NGOs involved with managing HIV/AIDS and the HRD research and practice community are made along with recommendations for stronger linkages between NHRD and HIV/AIDs.     

An integrated model of national HRD and critical HRD: considering new possibilities for human resource development

Though both National Human Resource Development (NHRD) and Critical Human Resource Development (CHRD) have received an increasing amount of attention, only two published works have used an explicitly critical approach to discuss NHRD norms, policies, and practices. The purpose of this article was to examine and articulate the relationship between NHRD and CHRD and make a case for the importance of that relationship to the field of HRD. We identify some commonalities between NHRD and CHRD, including the shared priorities of context, culture, and empowerment, which provide a strong foundation for future focuses on theory-sharing, global awareness, holistic and socially conscious economic development, negotiated power and performance, and emancipation in HRD research and practice.     

Putting the individual and context back into national human resource development research: A systematic review and research agenda

Conceptualization of national human resource development (NHRD) emphasizes that it is an ongoing development process of the individual that is shaped by context. However, the extant literature has focused primarily on describing and evaluating NHRD policies and interventions in different countries with limited consideration of NHRD across the lifespan and the interaction of life stage with context. Using ecological systems theory (EST) and a lifespan development perspective (LDP), we present a systematic review of the NHRD literature based on 310 sources. We identify key themes and gaps in research across the lifespan and at distinct levels of the ecological system. We build on this review to suggest future research informed by both EST and an LDP. We propose a future research agenda focused on several key areas, including: the developing individual as the primary focus of NHRD; the dynamic relationship between NHRD microsystems and how this evolves over time; the exosystem and macrosystem, which provide the context of the NHRD development experience for the individual over their lifespan; and the imperatives of directing research attention to top-down and bottom-up influences within the ecological system. We also propose three methodological innovations to address many of the questions raised by our review, drawing on national archive databases, the use of historical methods and a focus on longitudinal data analysis. Finally, we highlight the practical implications of our analysis for ecosystem and microsystem NHRD actors.     

The dilemma of prostitution in Taiwan and Thailand from an NHRD perspective

Throughout the world, prostitution creates a societal dilemma; Taiwan and Thailand are especially affected by the prevalence of such sex workers. While much has been written about prostitution, it has seldom been addressed from a national HRD (NHRD) perspective. This paper addresses reasons why prostitution is so prevalent; the extent of prostitution in these two countries; past NHRD efforts in this arena; and recommendations for NHRD policy, practice and future research.     

Improving human resources for health planning in developing economies

There is a universal consensus that human resources represent the heart and soul of effective health systems everywhere. However, despite this consensus, human resource planning in low income countries remains a neglected, often poorly implemented and ineffective component of health-system development. The planning exercises that do take place are often inefficient, use inappropriate planning models or fail to adequately prioritize human resource investment decisions. This article briefly discusses possible reasons why this failure occurs and describes four key steps that can help health system planners more effectively prioritize and link human resource for health investment decisions to health system strategy and programmatic initiatives. Implications for human resource development practice and national human resource development are discussed.     

Postcolonialism and national HRD: understanding contemporary challenges to skills development in sub-Saharan Africa

This paper argues that national human resource development (NHRD) practices, policy imperatives and challenges in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are linked to colonial experiences and coloniality. In doing this, the essay provides a brief overview of the intersections between postcolonialism and NHRD theory and practice, arguing that postcolonial insights can help overcome the ahistorical nature that characterizes much NHRD theorizing and also its reification. By demonstrating how current challenges to education and skills development in SSA are linked to colonial heritage and coloniality, the paper seeks to stimulate HRD theorists and practitioners to think differently and work beyond dominant neoliberal constructs and taken-for-granted assumptions about NHRD in postcolonial contexts. The paper also argues for the decolonization of NHRD and proposes some ideas about how knowledge about NHRD theory and practices might be made global and inclusive, thereby contributing to a tradition of paradigmatic critique in HRD theorizing.     

The role of national HRD in an era of COVID-19

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 has revealed the many ways in which processes across the globe have failed us. If NHRD were in place globally, many of these issues should not have occurred. This has especially been the case in the U.S. The country with the most highly developed NHRD, South Korea, has had among the greatest success in fighting the virus. In this article, I will explore many of these issues at the micro, meso, macro, and cross-country perspectives in which NHRD can improve on the failed processes and prepare for the next pandemic, whenever it occurs.     

The role of training in the development of human resource management in Australian organisations

This paper analyses the impact that nationally recognised training has had on the practice of human resource management in Australian organisations. Since the late 1980s, the Australian vocational education and training system has undergone major reforms. These reforms have been aimed at making training more relevant to the needs of Australian business. A key development in training reform has been the emergence of Training Packages, sets of occupational competency standards, qualifications and assessment guidelines covering most jobs in the economy. The research reported in this paper shows how nationally recognised training in the form of Training Package qualifications has been taken up by Australian employers and has begun to re-shape not only training practices but also broader approaches to human resource management. Many employers are now using the competency standards contained in Training Packages to underpin other human resource management practices such as recruitment and selection, performance management and management development. The use of consistent national standards to underpin these activities has led to better alignment and integration of human resource management in some organisations, as predicted by theories of bundling in the strategic human resource management literature.     

National Human Resource Development in practice: an interview with M.V. Subbiah

Theory and research in National Human Resource Development (NHRD) to date has relied extensively on literature reviews or on the analysis of secondary sources of data. To address this perceived gap, I elected to interview an NHRD practitioner to advance the scholarly conversation using the case example of India. This article is an interview with the chairperson of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), India. The NSDC is the first private–public–government partnership or coalition, organized to support workforce education and development issues. Given the urgent demand for a skilled workforce, the Government of India has targeted skill development of 500 million people in the next decade (NSDC website). In terms of the state of the art in NHRD practice, the goals of the organization (NSDC) and the perspectives shared by the chairperson offer valuable insights in the implementation of one of the many evolving NHRD strategies in India. Interestingly, the chairperson of the NSDC, in a previous life, was the head of the Murugappa Group, one of the biggest industrial groups of companies in India. Thus, this interview offers unique perspectives of a successful chief executive officer turned NHRD practitioner on the challenges and opportunities facing India. Further, the interview highlights the contribution of NSDC and similar industry–government partnerships and suggests potential implications for other developing countries.     

Advancing national human resource development research: suggestions for multilevel investigations

National human resource development (NHRD) is now an important area of investigation within human resource development with significant growth in publications over 49 years. Scholars have, however, highlighted the need for multilevel approaches to NHRD. We reviewed 192 papers to identify gaps on multilevel theorizing, and we propose a multilevel framework incorporating macro, meso, and micro levels of analysis. We develop principles and guidelines around WHAT, HOW, WHERE, WHEN, and WHY questions to promote multilevel NHRD research. Finally, we discuss research and methodological implications of our review.     

面向中国管理实践的组织与人力资源管理:反思与探索——首届“中国人力资源管理论坛(2012)”观点评述

全球化和知识经济时代动荡复杂的环境,对中国企业的组织形态和人力资源管理模式形成了严峻挑战。同时,近年来主流西方管理理论在中国遭遇的"水土不服",也需要中国管理学界在深刻反思的基础上积极探索中国式管理之路。基于对组织和人力资源管理领域回应现实课题和理论创新的双重要求,2012年5月26～27日在南开大学商学院召开的首届"中国人力资源管理论坛(2012):组织创新与人力资源管理变革"学术研讨会上,与会学者就中国人力资源管理的挑战和学科建设方向、人力资源管理研究的方法论、战略人力资源管理、组织行为与领导力、组织学习与变革等专题进行了深入研讨。鉴于此,在介绍诸多学术观点的基础上,对相关问题进行简要评述。     

论知识经济时代的人力资源管理

结合世界发达国家的知识经济的兴起 ,阐述了知识经济的特征及发展现状 ;分析了知识经济时代对人力资源要求的基本特征 ;进而 ,结合国情 ,提出了我国发展知识经济框架下人力资源管理的模式和策略 .它们可作为人力资源管理的高层决策的依据和参考 .     

Human resource development as we know it: speeches that have shaped the field,by M. Lee

This paper is a retrospective of the 12th International Conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development (Asia Chapter) that took place in Taipei, Taiwan on 5–8 November 2013. This paper provides a brief review of pre-conference workshops, keynote and innovation addresses, parallel sessions and cultural activities. The authors also share their thoughts on the contributions of international conferences to the field of human resource development.     

HRD standards and standardization: where now for human resource development?

This paper examines standard-setting and standardization processes currently being undertaken in the human resources field and makes a ‘call to action’ for human resource development (HRD) scholars and practitioners to influence these developments. The paper provides a reflexive ‘insider account’ of HR standards development combining personal experience with theoretical perspectives; ‘grey’ and practitioner literatures; and secondary data sources. Drawing on scholarly literature sources, opportunities and dilemmas of standardization processes in the HR field are discussed. Grounded in the standardization literature, alternative approaches to system-wide (meta) standards are identified. Drawing on publically available information, different standardization approaches in USA and UK are discussed. The paper critiques the dominant performance-orientated paradigm and ‘rules-based’ approach to standards and argues for an alternative, principles-based approach for HR standardization to support sustainable individual and organizational performance. These issues have important consequences for HRD identity, pedagogy, education, and practice. In addition to the development of an original typology of emerging HR standardization, the paper contributes a new perspective to debates about the identity, values, purpose, and contribution of HRD and the relationship between HRD and human resource management (HRM).     

International HRM in South African multinational companies

With the paucity of published research on human resource management (HRM) policy and practice in the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), the rationale for this article is to evaluate the nature of HRM practices, their development, application and diffusion in South African MNCs. It provides an exploratory analysis in a systematic literature review referring to qualitative case study research and research survey literature to better understand HRM strategies and practices developed and diffused by growing emerging market MNCs from South Africa.The findings underline significant challenges of human resource development and controversies regarding host country issues alongside a degree of ‘sophistication’ in the HRM practices of firms analysed. An aim of the article is to identify areas for further research on business and HRM models of Emerging Market MNCs (EMMNCs) in the African context and develop a set of seven research propositions.     

国外高绩效人力资源实践:理论回顾、分析与展望

顺应组织发展要求构建有效人力资源管理模式,增强企业的持续竞争力,已经成为战略人力资源管理的热点之一。通过梳理近年来相关研究成果,剖析国外高绩效人力资源实践的概念及其构成。从员工态度和行为、组织资本、组织能力等方面指出高绩效人力资源实践的结果变量。根据实证研究相关文献,梳理高绩效人力资源实践与企业绩效的内在关联性。在此基础上,提出高绩效人力资源实践的未来研究方向,为相关理论和实证研究提供指导。     

Coaching at the heart of managerial effectiveness: A cross-cultural study of managerial behaviours

This article considers the assessed performances of non-commissioned officers in aprogramme perceived as an important career enhancing activity for British military personnel. We introduce the idea of cognitive style as an important individual difference affecting performance on programmes of training and development and the implications for career progression. The research methodology adopted involved mixed methods as an alternative way of ‘seeing’, ‘researching’ and ‘theorising’ human resources development in this context. The research drew upon a mix of data from course participants and organizers, and it comprised cognitive style testing, within course assessment data and notes recorded during field observation. The results revealed relationships between the factors associated with ‘styles’, ‘assessed learning performance’ and ‘course experience’. Key perspectives on the experiences of training in terms of success and strategic direction were also identified. The study provides a deeper understanding of career-development processes in the military organization, considers the implications in which knowledge of an individual's style may have for the individual and course organizers and imports new theoretical frameworks into the study of human resource development.     

Recent books on HRD

Abstract

The growing potential and need for knowledge and information have had a profound impact on Korea as it strives to develop strategies for national human resource development (NHRD). Within Korea, one strategy for developing NHRD is through regional efforts. However, there is little research regarding regional HRD (RHRD), in spite of the importance of such a focus. This article explores directions and policy-making strategies for RHRD in Busan. 1 1 Busan is often written as Pusan in English, though Busan is preferred in Korea.