Bricolage as an Alternative Approach to Human Resource Development Theory Building

Abstract

This article argues for a liberal and pragmatic approach to human resource development (HRD) theory building, which, while retaining academic rigor, celebrates difference and allows learning from more than one ontological paradigm. The author argues that the paradigmatic struggle between positivists and constructivists for supremacy in the HRD field is futile because each ontology draws on such different political positions, discourses, and languages. The possibilities of rigorous and innovative theory building within the constructivist paradigm are both exciting and important for developing new knowledge in HRD, allowing both creativity and imagination to flourish in the research process. The author illustrates the richness of this approach through her own experiences of qualitative theory building from a single case study and suggests that the metaphor of research as bricolage can offer many new and refreshing possibilities for researchers in the field of HRD.