Human Resource Development as we know it: speeches that have shaped the field

Citation

Indravidoushi C. Dusoye (2015), "Human Resource Development as we know it: speeches that have shaped the field", European Journal of Training and Development, Vol. 39 No. 9, pp. 836-838. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJTD-09-2015-0074

Introduction

“Human Resource Development as we know it: speeches that have shaped the field” is a compilation of most influential speeches delivered by major players in the field of Human Resource Development (HRD) between 2000 and 2011. The book contains speeches that have shaped the trends and developments within HRD, changed the course of some researchers and identified new directions to explore the area; it captures the evolution of HRD, its history, developments, emerging areas of research and truths that will most likely continue to influence HRD research and practice. These valuable contributions have helped us better understand the development of the subject whilst providing a roadmap of HRD research over the years. The richness of Monica Lee’s book is captured through the various mix of unusual subjects that have been linked to HRD, such as spirit, humour, climate change and sufficient economy. The keynotes, geographically dispersed, present a more global perspective of HRD.

The book consists of 22 speeches categorised in five parts representing diverse outlooks on the field. Part I entitled “Conceptualisation” starts with Monica Lee’s reluctance to define HRD. This chapter sets the background to the ongoing academic debate about defining HRD, stating that it would be better to allow HRD to emerge, change and develop. Chapter 2, written by Yvonna Lincoln, states that the HRD field is continuously faced with “black box” issues that are related to human and social aspects. Lincoln also emphasises the importance of an academic–practitioner collaboration to improve the area. Thomas Garavan, the keynote of the Chapter 3, delivers his speech on an International, Comparative and Cross Cultural HRD angle that focuses on the evolution HRD, International HRD (IHRD) and identifies research and practice implications in each IHRD strand. Chapter 4, by Paul Iles, questions the concept of talent management and whether it is a fruitful direction for HRD or a fad that organisations follow to appear fashionable. In the fifth chapter, Sally Sambrook presents her reflections on critical approaches to HRD stating that Critical Human Resource Development has a very prominent role in influencing the values and behaviours of senior management in providing autonomous working environment, ensuring profit as well as the delivery of meaningful work.

Part II, titled “location”, takes us around the world. It begins with Chartchai Na Chiangmai’s Chapter 6, which presents key strategies towards sustainable competitive capability and suggests a model of HRD to create new capabilities including organisational architecture, HRD and learning processes and the philosophy of having a self-sufficient economy. Chapter 7, HRD policies and the supra-state, written by Nigel Haworth and Jonathan Winterton, provides a comparative analysis of HRD strategies in the European Union and Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, which is considerably diverse and gives rise to global challenges restricting the formation of uniform HRD strategies across the region. In Chapter 8, Aahad M. Osman-Gani presents a conceptual framework showing the impacts that HRD interventions can have on cultural intelligence and expatriate performance. Sharon Turnbull, the keynote for Chapter 9, describes how leadership practices are very deeply rooted in the culture and values of each country and how we can learn from the best leadership practices of the differing cultures.

Part III, Implementation, begins with Larry Dooley’s Chapter 10 on emerging technologies, specifically Web 2.0 urging organisations to redefine their learning processes smartly and efficiently. Chapter 11, by Chanin Vongkusolkit, travels to Thailand and focuses on corporate social responsibility and corporate governance for sustainable development in his company. In Chapter 12, Sharon Mavin and Dawn Robinson outline the HRD journey with Sage UK Ltd, focusing on Enable Management Development Program. Dawn Robinson, as a practitioner, relates how she applied the Authentic Leader Development Theory in her organisation while Sharon Mavin supported the implementation of the program by bridging research and practice. Nicolas Clarke, in Chapter 13, challenges the conventional thinking about leadership development by proposing a multilevel model for research and practice within the area of leadership development.

David Megginson’s Chapter 14 “cultivating spirit in organizations” begins part IV called valuation. He emphases the importance of cultivating spirit in organisations as the learning takes place between employees. In Chapter 15, Gary McLean’s speech establishes National HRD (NHRD) as a new research focus. He describes the economic and society’s impact on the definition, emerging models and the efficiencies and barriers to NHRD. Gene Roth and Darren Short, authors of Chapter 16, present an interesting dialogue between humour and HRD recommending that HRD practice can be grounded in the humour theory and encouraging more collaboration between practitioners and academics. In Chapter 17, Darlene Russ-Eft focuses on the influence of values from multiple stakeholders and how they can enrich and add value to evaluation programmes in organisations. In the last chapter of part four, Jamie Callaghan explores the management and the manipulative side of leadership, stating that leaders manipulate their emotions and that of others as a means of achieving organisational goals.

The final part of the book, visualisation, begins with Gary McLean Chapter 19 “Trends from a Global Perspective”. His speech covers the common debate of defining HRD differently in different parts of the world and offering probable areas of upcoming interest within the HRD field. In Chapter 20, Rob Poell states that organisations have the responsibility to make people happy and vice-versa, as employee learning is influenced by good organisational networks. Chapter 21, “Looking into the Future”, by Monica Lee, covers areas of global change (climate, technological and population). She describes how global change will affect our lives and have a direct impact on HRD practices in organisations. Chapter 22, by Peter Kuchinke, connects HRD and ethics stating that human development and human resource development are not identical and that ethics has a role to play in human flourishing.

Media abstract

The book compiles the most impactful speeches of the University Forum of HRD, Asian HRD Network and Academy of HRD keynote speakers over a time period of 12 years. Some speakers travel back in time laying the major foundations of HRD in their speeches, while others make the link between HRD and unusual topics in the field, such as humour, climate change and spirit. It consists of 22 contributions from leading experts in the field that chart the evolution of HRD at the individual, organisational, national and global levels. Each chapter is unique in its own way with an academic–practitioner mix and a global perspective outlook. The speeches inquire and are thought provoking. Unlike research papers, book chapters or conference proceedings, speeches tend to be highly volatile with time and lose their ultimate goal. Yet, this book has very successfully captured the unique picture of meaningful speeches that may have otherwise been missed or forgotten. Through their live speeches and now through this book, the keynotes of the University Forum of HRD, the Asian HRD Network and the Academy of HRD focus our attention on the major HRD research trends and bring new one to life.

Evaluation

As a young scholar, this book provides a retrospective of previous meaningful speeches that I missed before joining the academic world. The book is suitable for the HRD specialist, young academics, experienced ones, undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as PhD students who wish to pursue within the HRD area of research. The 22 groundbreaking contributions add to the vivid debate around HRD subjects and stem new focus for research as well as iterate the importance of academia–practitioner collaboration. The compilation of chapters wraps up the most impactful speeches that occurred over a decade and reveals how the area has burgeoned with an identity of its own. This book opens the mindset to thoughtful theories and concepts surrounding the HRD field.

Yet, the fact that the speeches have been chosen from 2000 onwards only is intriguing. As the Academy of HRD and the UFHRD were founded in 1993 and in the 1980s, respectively, one would expect the book to cover the influential keynotes from that era on. Though we acknowledge that the field has much evolved in the past 35 years, we should be aware of the fact that including early chapters would have helped trace a more profound evolution of the field through a chronological analysis, as the HRD field is mature enough to have a history of its own. The compilation of these chapters, however, does trace the early interest of IHRD and cross-cultural HRD that sets the steppingstone for new directions in IHRD research in the digital age. Also, the keynotes are highly UK and US centred. A more equally geographically dispersed speech compilation would have showcased a more global perspective on the evolution, the applications and the practice of HRD around the world, leading to the possibility of making regional analyses and global comparisons on the subject.

Monica Lee’s book sparks light on potential future research areas what will help HRD glitter. This book sets out an adventure in quest of finding the truth about HRD, including your own.