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.     

HRM系统、竞争战略与企业绩效关系的实证研究

战略人力资源管理理论认为人力资源管理(HRM)系统和企业竞争战略之间的匹配关系会对企业绩效产生影响.通过类型学和分类学两条主线归纳并总结了关于 HRM 系统及其与企业绩效关系的研究,提出了 HRM 系统、竞争战略与企业绩效关系的假说,并以133家样本企业为研究对象,对理论假说进行了检验.研究发现,采取内部型 HRM 形态的企业的绩效高于采取市场型 HRM 形态的企业;环境特征(产业技术变革、劳动力市场竞争)对 HRM 系统形态与企业绩效关系的调节效应仅得到部分支持,而企业规模的调节效用没有得到支持;企业的竞争战略对人力资源战略选择的影响很小;HRM 系统与竞争战略匹配企业的绩效高于没有匹配企业的假说没有得到支持.最后,对研究结论进行了讨论,分析了其局限性和未来研究建议.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

IT人员业务能力与技术能力的互补性对企业竞争优势的影响

以资源基础观为理论指导,研究IT人员的技术能力与业务能力以及二者的协同效应对企业竞争优势的影响。在已有研究成果的基础上,构建了企业IT人员能力及其互补性与企业经营绩效关联的概念模型,通过对国内300家大中型企业的问卷调查和统计检验,验证企业IT人员的技术能力和业务能力与企业绩效都有着显著的正相关关系,而且这2种能力之间也存在较强的互补性。研究结论显示,技术能力是IT部门人员区别于其他部门的根本,业务能力使IT人员能够更好地理解企业业务,进而充分发挥IT系统的战略作用,产生的协同效应能够进一步提升企业的经营绩效。     

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.     

The strategic role of Human Resource Development in managing core competencies

The Resource-Based View (R-BV) of strategy emphasizes the importance of core competencies as the critical basis for sustainable competitive advantage. Yet, discussions of strategy typically ignore the role of the Human Resource Development (HRD) function in core competency development and management. The literature on strategic HRD is reviewed to locate the R-BV as a basis for redefining HRD's role in organizational strategy. Three strategic roles for the HRD function in core competency management are proposed and discussed: participating in strategic planning, developing core competencies, and protecting them. Specific tasks for each role are proposed. The final section identifies needs for further research as well as the practical implications from this discussion.     

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.     

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.     

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.     

Human resource development competencies as predictors of agricultural extension agents' performance in Yemen

Human resource development (HRD) issue is recognized as a significant factor for survival of organizations and professionals, including those in the sector of agricultural extension. Few empirical studies have examined the influence of HRD competency variables on agricultural extension agents' performance. The authors argue that HRD competency variables such as leadership development, communication, programme planning, programme implementation and programme evaluation could predict agricultural extension agents' performance. Questionnaire data were collected from a sample of 290 extension agents in Yemen to discover if HRD competencies affect the performance of extension agents. Regression analysis shows that three variables – competencies in programme implementation, programme evaluation and programme planning – contributed significantly to the performance of extension agents. These predictors explain 42.2% of the variance in the job performance model.     

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.     

资源本位理论:演进与衍生

对资源本位理论的起源、演进与未来研究方向进行了探讨.从资源本位理论的奠基性文献讨论入手,对其演进脉络和本质问题进行梳理与提炼,并进一步探讨了该理论未来的研究议题、方向及研究方法.     

Mobilizing organizational alignment through strategic human resource development

This study examines the pivotal role of strategic human resource development (SHRD) in mobilizing organizational alignment. Using case study methodology, I trace the implementation of core competency development as a companywide SHRD initiative. The rationale for introducing core competency development as an organization-wide strategy was to enhance talent acquisition, development and retention. The operating environment (global market, industry space) and firm-specific factors (e.g. demographics and new leadership) accelerated the adoption of SHRD. Internal stakeholder orientation towards SHRD and the role of human resource development (HRD) in facilitating the implementation were also identified as critical factors. Organizational alignment emerged as an implicit consequence, while patterns of misalignment created barriers towards achieving the full benefits of SHRD. Furthermore, HRD displayed a high level of resourcefulness to become a strategic asset in the organization. I argue that the relevance and power of HRD lie in its ability to engage and respond to stakeholder expectations and involvement in organization change efforts.     

Human capital theory: implications for human resource development

This article reviews definitions of 'Human Capital Theory' by leading economists and HRD scholars. The origin of the term 'capital' is explained, and the link between Human Capital Theory and HRD is discussed. It is argued in the article that HRD scholars and practitioners should explore further the link between human capital, HRD and development at individual, organizational, community and international levels.     

互联网的资源观

互联网已经不再仅仅是一类技术系统或应用平台,而是一类广泛融入经济社会系统的战略性人造资源,正在推动经济社会系统的重大变革.但是,对互联网资源的开发和应用必将经历一个长期且曲折的发展过程,创造互联网资源和利用互联网资源都需要很高的基础理论水平、很强的技术创新能力和商业模式创新能力,本文提出并系统阐述了互联网的资源观.首先,分析了对互联网资源性的认识;然后,以服务业和制造业为例重点探究了融入互联网资源的产业发展;最后,探讨了基于资源观的互联网发展及相关问题,包括互联网资源的开发与应用、融入互联网资源后的产业生态系统重构、基于互联网资源观的第三次工业革命以及融入互联网资源后的经济安全等.