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The purpose of this brief paper is to introduce the papers in this special issue of Journal of Managerial Psychology, focused on “Complexities and challenges in the work‐family interface”.

The paper first introduces the theme of the special issue, and a brief outline of each paper contained in it is given.

There is concern that progress in the work‐family research area has been somewhat restricted and may have failed to take sufficient account of the complexity of work‐family issues.

The literature on the work‐family interface is complex, and theory in the field is uncertain and under‐developed. The papers in this special issue should further understanding of the challenges and complexities underscoring the work‐family interface.

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a selection of papers within the issue that discuss the work‐family interface.

The themes of the papers in the issue are outlined

The papers address the following: conflict, facilitation and individual coping styles across the work and family domains; generational differences in work‐family conflict and work‐family synergy for Generation X, baby boomers and matures; the development and transmission of work‐related attitudes; a cross cultural comparison of female managers attitudes, experiences and career choices; the impact of individual and organisational characteristics on work‐family conflict and career outcomes, and the variation of work life integration experiences of mid‐career professional women.

The paper introduces the special issue which provides a varied mix of theoretical approaches and multi‐level perspectives to scope out and explain the links between work and family life.

Drawing upon survey data, we assess the current state of management development in Ireland and we identify policy, practice and structural contingencies that help to explain variations in the volume of management development activity undertaken at organizational level. The data show that the level of management development, as measured by the number of days per annum, has increased in recent years with 70 percent of managers in our sample now receiving between one and five days training per year. The mean number of days per annum in Ireland now stands at 4.5. With respect to those factors that appear to affect the level of management development activity, preliminary analysis points to the importance of policy and practice variables over structural ones. Materially, in the human resource domain, our data suggest that organizations with actual policies on personnel/human resource strategy and on management development have higher levels of management development activity and, given the recent tightening in the labor market, many were promulgating their use of developmental interventions as an aid to recruitment/retention. The existence of formal career plans and succession plans, the relative emphasis on the analysis of human resource development needs and the filling of senior and middle management posts via the internal labor market all emerged as predictors of higher levels of management development. Organizations using international experience schemes also ran a significantly higher number of days of management development interventions. In the structural characteristics domain, the data indicate that management development in indigenous companies is at similar levels to internationally owned enterprises in our sample. Here structural explanations such as total employment, sector and unionization did not emerge as being statistically significant.

Reviews some of the literature on power and influence as it relates to the training and development function. Highlights a number of difficulties that confront the training and development function in using power and influence successfully in organizations. Empirical evidence is presented on how Irish training specialists perceive the power of the training and development function. Concludes that a number of strategies are outlined for use by the training and development function in order to develop power and use it effectively.

The ability of the Irish economy to continue growing depends not only on demand, but also on supply conditions. While these have remained favourable up to now, there are signs of increasing skill shortages and ongoing pressure on economic infrastructure. It has been established that human resources development (HRD) is vital to maintaining Ireland’s competitiveness internationally. This paper seeks to document the nature of HRD at organizational level in Ireland. Following a brief sketch of the Irish context, we draw on a nationally representative survey of HRD practices and present data on where responsibilities for HRD policy decisions lie, the extent of and the approaches to the identification of HRD needs, HRD coverage and delivery, and the nature of longer‐term developmental activities. Variations between firms of different size, between sectors, between firms of different origin, and between unionized and non‐union environments are, where appropriate, highlighted.

Recent years have witnessed considerable efforts to improve the national system of training and development in Ireland. Much of this renewed effort has been instigated by heightened international competition, technological advancements leading to the emergence of skill gaps in certain industries, and renewed pressure to provide increased incentives for organisational level training. The combined effect has been the dilution of the essentially voluntarist nature of the State’s role in training and development towards a more interventionist approach. This paper is divided into four key sections. The first section provides an overview of Ireland in terms of her labour market, educational and vocational infrastructure. In section two, we describe the evolution of the national system of training and development in Ireland and provide a basic “map” of Ireland’s training framework. Section three reviews current practices and trends in training and development at the organisational level using both national statistics on the incidences of training, and data collected by the Cranet‐E Survey on International Human Resource Management (1995). Finally, section four discusses a range of critical challenges facing Ireland as we approach the new millennium.

Focuses on the line manager as a key stakeholder in the human resource development process. Considers the general trend towards devolvement of human resource activities to line specialists. Examines issues involved in devolving training and development to the line, with specific emphasis on the potential difficulties. Recent empirical evidence is represented. Concludes that the shape of things to come, at least for the foreseeable future, will be a sharing of responsibilities between the specialist and the line.

Explores some of the key issues in conducting research at the organizational level, with particular reference to the Irish context. Examines the dimensions of the concept of the “learning organization” while acknowledging the contribution to our understanding of it made by the current and increasing industrial‐level research on the context and the definition of the learning organization. Emphasizes the importance of ensuring that the research design appropriately reflects the values and the experiences of those operating in these organizations and that the vocabulary of the learning organization does not surpass its empirical foundations and conceptual expression so that the rhetoric does not outstrip the reality. Concludes with an outline of difficulties commonly encountered by researchers when focusing on “the organization” as their subject, including those of access, finance or funding, and ethical, political and methodological considerations.