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The purpose of this paper is to explore, drawing on the author's experience, the role of human resource development (HRD) in developing individuals, teams and communities.

The paper adopts a critically reflective methodology rooted in the research practice of the author working alongside communities in the UK.

A non‐employee critical HRD can foster empowered spaces by which alternative discourses can be held up to the light and critical questions posed. The paper introduces the notion of a different form of empowerment that moves away from the individual to a view of suspension of action, of supporting the exploration of assumptions and taken‐for‐granteds, of identifying constructions of reality by members of communities, and inquiring into the social conditions which play a large part in determining their health and ambitions.

At a time when extensive cuts are being planned for public services, and the discourse of community empowerment becomes more entrenched, consideration of a critical approach to non‐employee HRD is especially timely, for both researchers and policy makers.

Past studies of HRD have focused primarily on the organisational sphere, with little critical consideration of its application to actual community settings and so‐called “service users”.

Contends that the conventions of writing about management inquiry limit the choices for creativity, and potential wider audiences. Using examples taken from teaching and PhD research, critical incidents are explored to demonstrate different forms of writing that offer the potential for alternative ways of sense making. Research indicates the strength of discourses managers encounter in modern‐day workplaces that restricts their capacity to act differently, the same forces are present in the researchers own work environment within a UK university business school. These discourses have resulted in a paring down of behaviours amidst a clamour for improvement and advancement. Experimentation with different forms of writing – journal keeping, poetry, creative writing to stimulate conversations, metaphor – have more potential to address the practising manager or researcher's “lived experience”.

Challenging, novel, and educational experiences are critical contributors to effective leader and follower development, in part, because such developmental experiences enable people to reconceptualize their perceptions about the traits and characteristics of effective leaders, or their implicit leadership theory (ILT). To understand how ILTs develop throughout developmental experiences, we examine the ILTs of 276 undergraduate students at the beginning and end of their first year of college. Using an open-ended ILT response format, a unique ILT trait of integrity emerged along with the dominant ILT traits of sensitivity, charisma, and dedication identified in previous literature. Overcoming limitations of the factor-based ILT approach, we investigate the development of ILT constellations, allowing a holistic picture of ILTs and how they throughout a developmental experience. Based on cluster analyses, four constellations of ILT themes emerged. Participants shifted to different ILT constellations after a year in college, moving from a non-descript, varied constellation toward constellations with clearly defined, dominant themes. Exploratory analysis revealed that completion of leadership coursework partially explains the shift towards more descript ILT constellations. Results have implications for new methods of future research using the ILTs constellation perspective and the practice of undergraduate leadership education in facilitating leader development among college students.