Decentralised vs Centralised Human Resource Development in Nigeria: A Mixture of Experience/ Lessons from HRD Programmes in the Public and Private Sector

Abstract

Human resource development is a systematic, organised and multidisciplinary activities of learning, educating, manpower training and development, capacity building, knowledge advancement and organisational development targeted at improving individual, team, organisational and societal performance. It is founded on the assumption that the development of the human resources of the organisation and society in general is key to unlocking the door of potentials for acceptable performance, advancement, civilisation and modernisation. The question as to whether human resource development activities should take a decentralised or centralised form is an on-going practical/empirical debate in the field. This paper interrogates the prevailing debate in the light of the two-fold positions advanced in it. One, each of the form has its advantages and disadvantages. Two, the choice as to what form of HRD programmes to adopt in an organisation is largely a function of leadership orientation and prevailing circumstances. Drawing from the Human Resource Development (HRD) processes and programmes in Nigeria and the 2018 Strategic Leadership Congress of the Deeper Life Bible Church, which took a decentralised form and held in zones and supported with strong leadership coordination, the paper presents decentralised human resources development as possessing organisational, team, individual and societal advantages. This should be explored for organisational growth and expansion.