Editorial: Tackling Enduring Questions in HRD Research, Education and Practice - 28(1)

While governments, intergovernmental organizations, non-profits, corporations are all aware that disruptions through pandemics and other natural bio-disasters like the COVID-19 pandemic can happen, barely are we proactive about them. Instead, we are always reactive. In a virtual Town Hall meeting of the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) held on 9 April 2020, on the theme ‘How is the pandemic a game-changer for HRD?,’ the President of AHRD, Laura Bierema, challenged HRD scholars to determine the possible futures of HRD scholarship post-COVID-19 Pandemic. This article proposes the use of the Strategic Flexibility Framework (SFF) to determine the possible futures of HRD post-COVID-19 pandemic. I first discuss the SFF as a scenario planning and analysis tool. I then developed four scenarios of possible futures for HRD Research and Practice post-COVID-19 pandemic. These scenarios include the ‘Meaning of work,’ ‘Leadership,’ ‘Contactless Commerce & Education,’ and ‘Volunteerism.’ I conclude by discussing the important opportunities that can serve as intervention points for post-COVID-19 HRD theory, research, and practice.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report on a Forum for HRD initiative to proactively engage with HRD practitioners to develop “new commons” in the research‐practice nexus. Researchers joined a community of UK university HRD practitioners, negotiated a research project mapping the terrain of HRD practice, explored how research informed these are and identified future practice relevant HRD research.Design/methodology/approachThe research process is described as grounded in relationship building and collaboration. Researchers utilized qualitative research methods to develop small‐scale empirical research and explore HRD practice in four case study universities and the UK Leadership Foundation for Higher Education.FindingsFindings are presented in the following themes: organizational approaches to HRD; underpinning philosophies and interventions as research informed and contracting and evaluating external providers and identifies opportunities to develop new commons between theory and practice via collaborative partnerships between the Forum for HRD and UK university HRD practitioners.Research limitations/implicationsFuture empirical research which is practice relevant is necessary in the area of evaluation of non‐accredited HRD interventions, the challenges of developing leadership and management in UK HE and the HRD research‐practice nexus.Practical implicationsThe paper has valuable implications for bridging the space between HRD research and practice; it surfaces the practitioners' “lack of voice” within the profession and field of HRD and the lack of opportunities for the development of individual HRD practitioners.Originality/valueThe link between practice and theory within universities should be more developed, as HRD academics, a theoretical resource, are also “clients” of a University's HRD approach in practice. The research highlights how the reverse is the case, with the link between theory and practice under developed.

This book chapter has two purposes. The first part of the chapter adopts a narrative approach (Glibkowski et al., 2014) to review the “what,” “why,” and “who” of the persistent gap between HRD research and practice. The second part focuses on “how.” We propose a strategy to bridge the research-practice gap by developing scholar-practitioners via curriculum development using four curriculum development approaches: 1) fostering grounded and relevant learning; 2) transforming the classroom into a safe lab for testing and applying HRD theories and research findings; 3) building an inclusive and interactive social learning community; and 4) redefining the roles of the instructor and students. These strategies draw upon the authors' academic backgrounds as faculty members in the Master of Human Resource Development Program at a Research 1 university in the United States, industry experience including as a corporate trainer, and practical experience with over 15 years of combined curriculum development expertise.

Qualitative research can be used to accomplish a variety of purposes for HRD scholarship, particularly when researchers wish to deeply understand the perspectives and experiences of individuals or groups of people. Given the infinite variety of research aims, there are necessarily multiple approaches to qualitative research. Because many qualitative research methods employ similar data collection strategies, such as interviews and observations, and outputs may appear similar (e.g. a collection of interrelated themes), the important differences among qualitative approaches can become muddy or lost. Making choices about approach, building an appropriate, corresponding design, and describing methods is an ongoing challenge for qualitative researchers in HRD and beyond. This article provides an accessible overview and comparison of select qualitative approaches in HRD, both traditional and emerging, to clarify decision-making in research design, guide methodological alignment, and explore the distinct contribution each approach can make for developing theory and practice in HRD.

The challenge of combining research and practice in HRD has led to continuing debate on who are scholar-practitioners and how they integrate research and practice in the workplace. This qualitative collective case study provides insights from seven scholar-practitioners to help HRD professionals and researchers understand implementation concerns of scholar-practitioners. The findings reveal scholar-practitioners’ perceptions of their roles, the link between research and practice, and actions they took to overcome barriers and challenges related to integrating research and practice. This pilot study can serve as a benchmark for future studies regarding successful integration of research and practice in HRD.

The problem and the solution. HRD research and practice rest on fundamental assumptions about the nature of organizations and the individuals within them.Where HRD professionals are aware of these deeply held beliefs,their range of understanding and options for practice increases.Can metaphors help HRD professionals by providing a window onto this realm of paradigms that shape HRD research and practice? This chapter extends the discussion of metaphor by describing and contrasting alternative paradigms,illustrating the implication for the role and function of HRD, and highlighting the potential for using metaphors to identify and change paradigms-in-use.

The dynamics of modern day business have made it imperative for organisations to adopt innovative HRD practices to stay afloat. Metal industries are indispensable part of an economy and the Indian ferro alloys industry is a part of this core sector. Balasore Alloys Ltd. (BAL) is recognised as a major business house in the country engaged in the manufacturing of ferro alloys. Various organisational development initiatives were put into place and several other steps were taken to improve the operational efficiency and productivity. The present study aims at exploring the factors pertaining to HRD practices by administering a structured and pretested questionnaire (Rao, 1999. HRD Audit: Evaluating the HRD Function for Business Improvements. Response Books-SAGE India, New Delhi) to different categories of employees. Factor analysis was conducted for identifying underlying factors from an array of variables under the HRD practice profile. Factor analysing HRD practice profile revealed 14 important factors namely HR innovation and system development, performance planning, analysis and development, HR philosophy and values, creating and sustaining healthy practices, HRD research, organisational health, collaboration, HR transformation, performance revival, re-orientation, appraisal communication, HRD implementation, performance planning and team building. Except team building all other activities under the factors are being performed adequately. The study also reveals that the spread of HRD practices is not uniform in the organisation.

The problem and the solution. Chapters 2 through 7 of this journal describe different aspects of the application of metaphor to HRD work. They contribute metaphorical threads that are useful in their own right and can be made even more so when combined. How, then, can HRD professionals weave those threads together to produce a more coherent picture of ways to apply metaphor in their own work? This chapter provides an overview of the variety and range of metaphor application in HRD with reference to approaches described in this journal and elsewhere.

The problem and the solution. Metaphors are found in the language of HRD and applied in HRD research,practice,and education. Despite having been analyzed in associated disciplines (such as HRM and psychology), relatively little attention has been paid to their use,role,and impact in HRD.This chapter acts as a foundation for the journal by describing metaphors, how they work, and why they are important. It also offers a frame-work of questions for exploring metaphors and their application.

PurposeHuman resource development (HRD) research and practice mostly have focused on performance improvement although HRD fundamentally pursues human development as a whole. The purpose of this study is to conceptualize meaningful work in the context of HRD and provide implications for HRD research and practice.Design/methodology/approachThis study reviewed the literature on topics such as meaningful work, the meaning of work, workplace spirituality, the value of work and work as a calling, to understand the concept of meaningful work. In addition, this study reviewed existing studies on meaningful work in HRD journals to investigate the current status of meaningful work research within the field of HRD. This study reviewed the related literature such as meaningful work, the meaning of work, workplace spirituality, the value of work and work as a calling, to understand the concept of meaningful work. In addition, this study reviewed the existing studies on meaningful work in HRD journals to investigate the current status of meaningful work research in HRD.FindingsThe findings of this study identified three main themes in conceptualizing meaningful work, namely, positivity; significance and purpose; and human fulfillment. The authors also suggest that the meaningful work discourse in HRD expands a research boundary of HRD and enables a holistic approach to HRD research and practice.Research limitations/implicationsFor future research, the authors recommend that HRD research deepens its understanding of meaningful work and its related concepts. They also recommend studies pursuing empirical evidence to reveal the significance of meaningful work.Originality/valueGiven the limited studies on meaningful work in HRD and a lack of understanding of meaningful work, this study proposes a comprehensive understanding of meaningful work, especially within the HRD context. This study also suggests a holistic approach to HRD by stressing a humanistic perspective beyond the performance-oriented HRD.

The purpose of this article is to capture and further consider remarks I made at the 2018 University Forum for Human Resource Development (UFHRD) Conference in Newcastle, England, on gender hegemony and its impact on HRD research and practice. This article will define features of oppression and facets of gender hegemony, examine how gender hegemony is perpetuated through implicit biases and microaggressions, illustrate overcoming resistance to gender hegemony through embracing gender diversity and identity, appraise and challenge gender hegemonic research in HRD, and embolden HRD to erode gender hegemony in research and practice in ways that promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice.

Theory building and theory-building research are starting to draw increased attention from HRD scholars. There is a growing recognition of the importance of theory building in maturing thought and practice in HRD. This article examines what is meant by good theory and theory-building research in HRD through a synthesis of the existing literature and a discussion of the core concepts, issues, and challenges associated with theory building in an applied field. It also highlights the importance of embracing multiparadigm research perspectives for stepping up to the task of theory building in the HRD profession. © 2000 by Jossey-Bass, A Publishing Unit of John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

As employee preferences change and organizations adapt and transform as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, new research opportunities are present for HRD scholars interested in training and development, organizational behavior, job design, change management, the creation of healthy and productive workplaces, and more. In the face of new opportunities for research, we discuss the value of revisiting grounded theory methodology as a resource for generating theory in HRD contexts. As a methodology, grounded theory is a useful tool for exploring processes and building theory grounded in data. In this paper, we examine the potential of grounded theory to contribute meaningfully to the research and practice of HRD by discussing the historical development of grounded theory, the current state of grounded theory research in HRD, and the implications of grounded theory work on the future of HRD scholarship.

Based on the observation that the systematic study of university-based HRD education - especially in an international comparative approach - is an important but under-explored area of scholarship, this article reports on the results of a need-sensing process among a panel of twenty-one senior HRD administrators and scholars in the United States and Great Britain. The resulting research agenda identified knowledge gaps and research needs in three broad areas: subject matter of HRD education; institutional characteristics, arrangements, and linkages; and outcomes and effectiveness of HRD education. Several categories were identified in each of the three areas and examples described. The implications of this study for research and theory building in international and comparative HRD are discussed.

This paper argues for recognition of Netnography as a necessary methodological innovation for HRD research, enabling the field to address emerging research questions and contribute to theory building at the intersection of technology, work and social life. The paper defines ‘netnography’ and introduces its key methodological underpinnings; illustrates its application and procedures; and considers its benefit to HRD research. We identify three opportunities where Netnography can deliver important advances to HRD theory and practice: investigating hard-to-access online work contexts, such as gig work and other forms of precarious working; exploring marginalised, ‘hidden’, or under-researched voices in online spaces; and extending knowledge of learning in hybrid work environments where physical and digital dimensions are intertwined. We conclude with a call to action by HRD scholars to take forward, and further develop, the Netnographic methodology to contribute to new and inclusive theorizing as a basis for advancements in HRD scholarship and practice.