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This paper aims to discuss a shift from the mentality of limitless growth and expansion to the new sustainability paradigm in HRD practice, and identifies what corresponding changes are needed in human resource development (HRD) university programs.

The paper is based on a review of the literature in HRD and related fields, and of curricula of a sample of HRD programs in the USA.

Five themes were found in the academic literature: critique of HRD's fixation with performance outcomes and lack of emphasis on developing sustainable and responsible members of society; role of HRD in embedding sustainability in organizational cultures; training and development methods, aimed at increasing sustainability awareness and at developing related skills; sustainable leadership and leadership development; and interconnectedness of HRD, sustainability, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and business ethics. Review of the contents of a sample of HRD graduate programs suggested that these programs rarely incorporate sustainability‐focused courses or course segments.

Future research needs to conduct an in‐depth review and analysis of the existing HRD graduate coursework in a larger sample of HRD programs to determine the extent of coverage of sustainability‐related topics. In addition, a review of the literature from related fields (e.g. business and management, HRM, and engineering), is needed to identify successful examples of sustainability‐related curricular innovations. Furthermore, it would be beneficial to conduct action research‐based studies of experimental development and implementation of courses and/or teaching modules, focused on sustainability issues.

There are three main areas where changes in HRD curricula are needed: economic foundations of HRD (to demonstrate the economic necessity of the paradigm change); systems theory (to provide a solid understanding of the systemic nature of inter‐relationships between the economy, environment, and society); and self‐leadership and individual moral development as related to individual employees' role in promoting sustainable organizations.

While there is some research on the role of HRD in organizational sustainability, this article is the first to address issues of corresponding changes in HRD academic curricula.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a prologue to the issue of sustainability, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and human resource development (HRD). Although issues of sustainability and CSR have become an important topic of research, there are few studies on this topic in the field of HRD. To address this gap, we edited a special issue of European Journal of Training and Development that explicitly focuses attention on sustainability and CSR issues in HRD.

The paper provides an overview of the conceptualisation of sustainability and CSR and their relevance for the concept of sustainable HRD. We then outline the contributions of the authors of the six papers that make up the special issue.

There are issues related to the conceptualisation and measurement of sustainability, CSR and sustainable HRD. The role that HRD plays in contributing to sustainability and CSR in organisations is not well understood.

The paper introduces the special issue on sustainability, CSR and HRD. It shows that this is an under-researched area. However, we propose that a focus on sustainability and CSR will serve to advance the field of HRD and contribute to enhancing practices within organisations.

The purpose of this paper id to examine the successful community development by enabling people to help themselves so that they could increase their career opportunities and recover the fertile natural environment previously lost through overstraining the local ecosystem. Sustainability is of central importance for many countries in the world. Especially developing countries need to strive for sustainability and continuity in their economic, social and political systems. This paper aimed at identifying sustainable human resource development in relation to the Huay Sai Royal Development Project initiated by His Majesty the King Bhumipol Adulyadej of Thailand as a case study.

This study was a case study. Data were collected from documents, interviews and project visits. Then, the analysis was made by document analysis and observation during the study visit, and the information from the interviewees was recorded and transcribed in the Thai language. Some information from the interviews was then added to the analysis to confirm the case that the project had generated sustainable development and encouraged a better life for the local people.

It was found that the nature of people development for sustainability in the project was based on two central themes: people-centered development and whole system-focused development. People-centered development aims to make people succeed in their life. The latter theme aims at helping people become social beings that are willing to place societal concerns before personal interests. This reflected the eastern approach of people development, which puts people and their mindset at the center of development. Other findings pertaining to the methods of people development showed that action learning was a central method of development.

The Sufficiency Economy and people-centered development served as an alternative development path, pursuing balanced growth based on development from within and on the accumulation of knowledge. The main thrust emphasized development from within, self-protection, conservation, caution and moderation, which called for the sustainable use of resources and concern for the social and environmental impact of economic decisions. This contributed to the action learning approach that the success of the project was not only economic returns but also the learning process to which the people engaging in dialogue could share their problems and develop solutions for themselves and for each other.

There were three key success factors that can be seen in the case. First, the development approach was aligned with the lifestyle and local wisdom of the people. Second, this project promoted step-by-step development, beginning with building a good basis for the people at the individual level. Lastly, the initiation of the project stemmed from an in-depth study of the problems in the area and action research, with a closely coupled monitoring system by which feedback was always fed into the study center.

It could be noted that the Sufficiency Economy and people-centered development served as an alternative development path, pursuing balanced growth based on development from within and on the accumulation of knowledge. The main thrust emphasized development from within, self-protection, conservation, caution and moderation, which called for the sustainable use of resources and concern for the social and environmental impact of economic decisions.

The Sufficiency Economy strengthened sustainability as a goal and means of development; the ultimate goal of the development was to develop people to help themselves to become self-reliant. The means of this development were participatory development through a wide variety of methods and the use of local knowledge as a basis for cultivation. Sharing knowledge made people feel more empowered and encouraged them to change their basic attitudes and behaviors. Once people changed their mindset, they became able to enhance their potential. They also had the power to make choices in their life.

Reviews the state of current HRD literature in terms of definitional issues, alternative models, dominant justifications and biases. Articulates the view that the literature is fragmented, multifaceted, and reflects a diverse range of perspectives and models.

The paper aims to report initial empirical research that examines UK employees’ perceptions of the changing nature of work since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) to consider how the financial context may have constrained HRD practice and more sustainable approaches.

Focus group research was facilitated through collective group discussion. Through template analysis of the findings, thematic analysis was undertaken to extend prior research. Themes used by Hassard et al. (2009) in terms of the changing nature of the workplace between 2000 and 2008, were used to provide new data on HRD realities.

Participants reported diminishing personal control over changes within the workplace and a cultural shift towards a harsher work climate. HRD was considered as silenced or absent and associated solely with low cost-based e-learning rather than acting in strategic role supporting sustainable business objectives.

Whilst providing only indications from employee perceptions, the research identifies a weakened HRD function. The key contribution of this paper lies with empirical evidence of post-GFC constraints placed upon HRD strategies. It further identifies whether alternative development approaches, mediated by organisational learning capabilities, might emancipate UK HRD.

This paper engenders a debate around the status of HRD within the UK organisations, further to the global financial crisis (GFC), where HRD might be viewed as at a juncture to argue a need for a shift from a financialised mode for people management towards one of greater people focus.

This research provides initial findings of the impact of the economic climate. It considers new approaches which might resolve expiring HRD through more sustainable practices.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which economically significant Caribbean and African firms provide human resources disclosures (HRD), and the factors related to their disclosure practices. It is motivated by the dearth of studies of HRD among firms in developing countries.

All companies with common shares listed on the main tier of the major stock exchanges in each country examined on December 31, 2013 as well as selected state enterprises were included in the study if their annual report, sustainability report or integrated report was available online. HRD was measured using an unweighted 174-item disclosure index. The research hypotheses were examined using multiple-regression analysis.

The level of HRD in the Caribbean and Southern Africa was relatively low (M=33.7 percent, SD=25.3 percent). The amount of HRD was related to organizational culture, firm size, industry affiliation, national governance environment and foreign influence. Geographical region, gender diversity and director independence were not statistically related to the amount of HRD.

Caribbean and African governments may need to implement incentives for economically significant companies to participate in targeted human resources (HR) development initiatives, to provide more comprehensive HR disclosures and incorporate HR consideration in their strategic decision making.

This is one of the first studies to compare the amount and determinants of HRD by economically significant Caribbean and African companies.

This paper aims to emphasize integrating training for organizational sustainability with the United Nation’s (UN’s) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It shows how SDGs can be included in the training, development programs and incentives to promote sustainable practices. It guides organizations to set long-term sustainability objectives to stay competitive and adapt to changing conditions.

The paper conducts a review of the literature on the topic of integrating training for organizational sustainability with the SDGs. The research includes investigating the 17 SDGs and their specific areas of improvement, the benefits and challenges of integrating training for organizational sustainability with the SDGs and the best practices of organizations that have successfully integrated training for organizational sustainability with the SDGs.

The findings of this study were obtained through a systematic review of literature on the topics of human resource development, corporate social responsibility, organizational sustainability and the integration of training to promote sustainable and ethical behavior. A total of 36 articles were selected from a pool of 120 articles identified through a comprehensive search of electronic databases such as Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar. The selected articles were analyzed in detail, and information from the UN was also incorporated into the analysis. The review focused on examining the impact of integrating sustainability training with the SDGs on organizational sustainability. The results of this analysis suggest that integrating sustainability training with SDGs has a positive impact on organizations. This impact includes promoting sustainable practices, improving employee satisfaction and productivity, reducing environmental impact and enhancing the organization’s reputation. The study found that regular progress reviews and long-term objectives are essential for organizations to remain competitive and adapt to changes.

This paper offers a comprehensive analysis of the 17 SDGs and how they can be integrated with training for organizational sustainability. It provides practical guidance for organizations on effectively incorporating the SDGs into their training and development programs, performance evaluations and incentives. The paper also includes case studies and best practices of organizations that have successfully integrated training for organizational sustainability with the SDGs, making it an original and valuable resource for organizations looking to promote sustainable practices within their operations.

The purpose of this paper is to test the feasibility of a conceptual model on relations between organisational innovation, knowledge productivity and social capital. It explores processes of knowledge productivity for sustainable innovation and associated HRD implications in knowledge intensive organisations, taking the perspective that social capital is a key influencing condition.

This qualitative case-study concerned a large-scale innovation project between knowledge-intensive organisations. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 participants from six innovation groups as well as with the project management.

Findings showed that four dimensions of social capital influence knowledge productivity, each requiring a minimum quality to create a rich innovation environment for sustainable results. The relational and cognitive dimensions seem most important, while the action dimension makes them productive. Knowledge productivity appears twofold, i.e. organisational innovation, and professional ability for future innovation. Found are 18 new indicators.

Only one large-scale inter-organisational case was conducted.

It is suggested that project management, group leaders and HRD officers target social capital as condition for knowledge productivity that should be stimulated, not just by planned interventions, but by “being” there as supporter, coach and mediator.

The article contributes to our knowledge about innovations in knowledge-rich organisations, broadens the concept of knowledge productivity, and provides a new framework of social capital as intervention model for HRD. In addition, not often dealt with in literature, the dynamic of innovation is shown.

The aim of this study is to review published articles within the HRD and related fields to identify relationships between disparate streams of research (leadership and innovation and sustainability).

Academic research supports the complex relationships between leadership and innovation and leadership and sustainability. An integrative literature review of published articles is used to gain an understanding about effective leadership as an important link between innovation and sustainability.

The analysis revealed the parallel research streams are rather isolated from one another. Central themes focused around leadership roles, orientations, practices, and influences; leadership capacity building; and (global) leadership development. Emergent themes with respect to sustainability included global mindset and concern for others. Servant leadership was brought forth.

The literature review was drawn from the four Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) journals, as well as sources from the human resource management (HRM), business and management, and related fields.

The study discussed influences of leadership on innovation and sustainability, mindsets and competencies, and leadership development strategies for use in understanding how to foster innovation and sustainable practices. Developmental activities including experiential learning, action learning, and service learning programs were considered.

This article is among the first to highlight leadership as a connection between innovation and sustainability and provides a valuable platform for HRD scholars and practitioners interested in enhancing leadership capacity and development in these areas.