Workplace learning strategies,barriers, facilitators and outcomes: a qualitative study among human resource management practitioners

Recently the role of human resource management (HRM) practitioners has become more professionalized and more strategic. Consequently, HRM practitioners have had to develop new competencies in areas such as change management, influence and technology. Workplace learning, which is important for professional development, is examined for 13 HRM practitioners in government, healthcare, post-secondary education and business organizations in the Halifax Regional Municipality area. Of particular interest were learning strategies, barriers to and facilitators of learning and outcomes of learning. To obtain rich data, practitioners were interviewed face to face using an interview guide. Results indicated that these practitioners are mostly similar to other professional groups in terms of workplace learning, with a few key differences. The similarities and differences are presented, and implications of these findings for HRM practitioners and future directions for research are discussed.     

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.     

Leadership wholeness: a human resource development model

This paper presents a phenomenological study of leaders' quest for wholeness from the perspective of contemporary human resource development (HRD). The experience of economic, ethical and spiritual crises in contemporary society, especially in organizational leadership, calls for a deeper quest for meaning and wholeness. However, little is known about how prominent leaders across the world and cultures, who have a reputation for wholeness, experience their journey. In order to gain insight into lived experience, 10 top spiritual leaders from different organizational contexts and across the globe engaged in in-depth conversational interviews to describe their experience of the quest. Four essential themes of spiritual leaders' quest for wholeness emerged from an analysis of the interview texts: (1) experiencing existential crisis; (2) embracing light and shadow; (3) unfolding ultimate dimension of being; (4) fostering an ethic of co-responsibility. From the analysis of the themes, a model of wholeness was constructed from a human resource development point of view: the Leadership Wholeness Model portrays the intra-dynamics of leaders' ongoing quest for wholeness penetrating through their existential, learning, spiritual, and moral dimensions of being and five ethical dimensions of wholeness permeating through the personal, organizational, social, global, and environmental spheres of life.     

The role of international human resource in leading a company from a domestic to a global corporate culture

One of the biggest challenges facing HR is to help a company move from a domestic corporate orientation to working in a global business environment. Using the international human resource department as an example of where this transformation must occur first, the global paradigm shift is explored from the theoretical (international human resource management models) and practical (global HR competencies) perspectives. The discussion is supplemented with a cross-cultural HR development plan necessary to accomplish this cultural transformation.     

Ethics and human resource management and development in a global context: case study of an Indian multinational

A firm's orientation to ethics is influenced largely by its national and organizational culture. Research shows that a growing number of Indian firms place a distinct emphasis on long-term orientation to business strategy with a social mission, underpinned by firm commitment to core organizational values, employee development and welfare. Through a case study of a large Indian multinational conglomerate, this article provides preliminary evidence of how some emerging economy firms are successfully mixing and matching indigenous business and people management strategies with the Western emphasis on meritocracy and professionalism to compete in the contemporary global economy. It further shows how the human resource development (HRD) discipline can play a pro-active role in embedding ethics and values throughout the organizational and HR architecture. The HRD professionals in the case study firm also face several structural and cultural challenges in discharging their ethics-driven HR mandate, such as management's ethnocentric attitude to global staffing and clash of work cultures.     

The perceptions of human resource development professionals in Taiwan regarding their working relationships with subject matter experts (SMEs) during the training design process

While the literature supports the importance of establishing a relationship between designers and subject matter experts (SMEs) in the training design process, this approach is not followed in all global practices. The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of human resource development professionals in Taiwan regarding their working relationships with SMEs. The respondents of the study were HRD professionals who worked in high-tech companies located in a science park in Taiwan. The study found that a significant relationship exists between the ability to work with SMEs and current ability in the training design process among HRD professionals who had worked with SMEs. This study provides implications for the professional development of HRD practitioners and HRD practice in Taiwan companies. Cross-cultural issues are discussed to explain inconsistencies between the results and US-based perspectives on the training design process.     

Manufacturing flexibility and advanced human resource management practices

This article analyses the connection between the use of advanced human resource management (HRM) practices, individually and as a system, with manufacturing flexibility. The results show a positive relationship between the implementation of advanced HRM practices and manufacturing flexibility. While most of the advanced HRM practices analysed show higher levels of implementation in flexible firms, no differences are observed in training efforts. Flexible firms are more prone to implement systems of advanced HRM practices.     

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 .     

Evaluating training and development practices in Taiwan: challenges and opportunities

The purpose of this article is to explore the status and challenges of employee training and development (T&D) in Taiwan. Literature review suggested that government intervention, vocational and technical education, social network, and organizational structures are the key factors that influence T&D practices in Taiwan. Taiwanese government plays a major role in promoting value-added production and skilled workforce in the organizations via developing various national labour enhancement policies, strategies and regulations and providing a set of training subsidies for employee T&D. The promotion of Taiwan TrainQuali System in Taiwan is one of the major national employee T&D policies that motivates and forces the corporations to cultivate their manpower. The challenges are evident when corporations adapt and apply Western T&D models or programmes. This study investigates T&D applications in Taiwan and provides a guide to practitioners to overcome challenges in terms of implementing T&D practices in Taiwan. Implications and recommendations for practice and future research were also discussed.     

Human resource development issues in the implementation of the Western China development strategy

This article systematically illustrates the value and role of human resource development in the implementation of the Western China development strategy. It analyses in detail some current human resource issues constraining the implementation of the Western China development strategy and those factors that constrain the sustainable development process of economic society. Based upon these analyses, the study accordingly proposes the future goals and countermeasures in the human resource development of Western China.     

Human resource development in a challenging financial environment: the case of a Greek bank

Changes in the external environment have reshaped the banking industry environment. Responding to that, Greek banks are adopting new strategies towards organizational development and realize that success requires adjustments to their HRD effort. The case example presented here refers to a leading Greek bank that was involved in a systematic HRD effort, based on the use of training interventions as a short-term solution to transit smoothly to the new era. The results of this effort are connected to the improvement of the bank's position in the market, despite its problematic past. However, the next challenge for the bank is to realize that the formation of a long-term development strategy and its integration with wider HR management policies are a priority.     

Scenario building: an integral methodology for learning,decision-making,and human resource development

Recognizing and managing the complexities of strategic change is a difficult endeavor for organizational leaders, and is one that is increasingly necessary for organizations that exist in uncertain and rapidly changing environments. Organizations, and the individuals within them, must develop expertise and tools to operate effectively in these conditions. Scenario building has gained attention as a methodology that enriches traditional strategic planning methods by helping organizational leaders recognize and better prepare for the critical uncertainties and complexities of forces driving future change. Scenario building is explored in this article to provide HRD professionals with a solid exposure to the art of scenario building. The process is defined and explained, its history briefly explored, and key benefits as a learning and decision-making tool as well as for the field of human resource development are discussed.     

Strategy,core competencies and human resource development

HRD's traditional approach to competency focuses on superior individual performance. The concept of a core competency in the strategic literature, as reviewed here, considers it as an organizational capability that provides sustained competitive advantage. That model is examined and implications for HRD practice noted.     

Modelling the impact of performance management practices on firm performance: interaction with human resource management practices

The paper draws on resource orchestration theory to investigate whether and how performance management (PM) practices interact with human resource management (HRM) practices in organisations as well as how this interaction affects firm performance. The proposed theoretical model was tested through a survey of 192 UK firms using Partial Least Squares approach for structural equations modelling. The findings show that the effect of PM practices on firm performance is better explained when the interaction between these practices and other organisational practices is considered. In particular, we examine the extent to which the interaction between PM practices and commitment-based HRM practices affects performance. We find that when HRM practices and PM practices are misaligned, their effect on performance can be negative. This is the first paper in the PM literature that establishes the relationship between PM and HRM practices in organisations and demonstrates the effect of this relationship on firm performance.     

Integration of project management,human resource development,and business teams: a partnership,planning model for organizational training and development initiatives

The changing business environment has challenged organizations to explore unique ways to ensure the success of online training initiatives. Thus, project teams, including training managers, should not only support organizational training and development initiatives; but, they also need to use project-focused, planning models for implementation. This paper proposes a model that is an extension of the model for business and training partnership developed by Price. The proposed model includes the integration of project management, human resource development (HRD), and business teams in order to enhance the success of training implementations through a sequential, planned framework. The model includes phases, best practices, and supporting tools to assist in managing and administering training and development projects. The approach developed in this research includes an account of the activities associated with initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing processes for an online training initiative conducted in an oil and gas organization. This research also discusses implications of the proposed model for HRD professionals, because they are typically the champion of training and development initiatives within organizations today.     

Human development as a central goal for human resource development

This essay seeks to connect core aspects of the human development (HD) literature with its ethical and moral commitment to human flourishing and theoretical and applied scholarship in human resource development (HRD). Summarizing the central arguments advanced by philosopher John Finnis and economist and Nobel Memorial Prize winner Armatya Sen, the paper argues for the relevance of the HD frameworks for HRD. This is done by briefly reviewing the role of values for professional fields in general and HRD in particular, followed by a summary of the justifications for and definitions of HD as reciprocal obligations between social institutions and individuals. The central part of the paper argues for the conceptual proximity of the two fields and proposes that the moral and ethical value stance of HD can provide a solid philosophical foundation for HRD.     

Cross-cultural adjustment in the multinational training programme

This study provides an in-depth understanding of the process of programmeme adjustment that occurred in the case of a US-born multinational training programme in Taiwan. Through observation, interview, and material analysis, this article looks at five essential and practical considerations in cross-cultural programme adjustment – spoken communication, material translation, silent communication, local trainers, and empowerment and localization.     

Landscape of human resource development research in Korea: results from author co-citation network analysis

The present study examined major trends and issues of Human Resource Development (HRD) research in Korean context applying the author co-citation analysis (ACA) to three primary HRD-related journals in South Korea. Following the analyses of author co-citation frequency, correlation matrix, dendrogram, and the multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) map, the results were found as follows: (1) co-citation network identified seven topical clusters (i.e., human competency improvement for young men and e-learning designers, system approach for training effectiveness, competency for executives and HRD-ers, HRD evaluations, HRD solutions, mentoring in career development, leadership, and the role of professionals), (2) competency appeared as a keyword in multiple clusters, (3) unlike HRD in North America or Europe, learning (informal, organizational, self-directed, and lifelong learning) with a variety of HRD solutions comprised the dominant research stream, and (4) research activities for critical issues, such as diversity, development of workforce minority, and international HRD were largely missing.