Human Development Research Research Articles

Force and Inertia: A Systematic Review of Women’s Leadership in Male-Dominated Organizational Cultures in the United States

The ascension of women into top leadership roles in male-dominated industries and organizations in the United States remains significantly low despite inroads women have made over the past two decades. The scarcity of women in leadership has been attributed to gendered traits and socialized beliefs that inform organizational cultures. However, research suggests that leaders can also influence organizational culture because they model the primary principles undergirding workplace cultures. This systematic review sought to understand how women’s leadership has been described in influencing male-dominated organizational cultures. Three major themes were identified to answer the research question—Strategic Femininity, Shared Power, and Change Agents. Using the analogy of inertia and force, a discussion of the findings and implications for human resource development (HRD) research and practice are presented.

A Dynamic Systems Approach to Understanding Mindfulness in Interpersonal Relationships

Major components of mindfulness, such as the development of empathy and compassion and the sharing of experience between people, necessitate a consideration of interpersonal relationships. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on interpersonal mindfulness to-date and present a new way to conceptualize and measure mindfulness as it is cultivated and developed in interpersonal relationships. We reviewed empirical literature on mindfulness in relationships and current conceptualizations and measures of mindfulness. Specifically, we focused attention on mindfulness in parenting and how cultivation of mindfulness impacts the parent–child interactions. Empirical investigations of mindfulness have largely centered on the intrapersonal and have rarely involved both intra- and interpersonal components of human experience. Further, although mindfulness is thought to involve the moment-to-moment awareness of human experience as it unfolds over time, empirical studies rarely measure mindfulness as a dynamic construct. We suggest that dynamic systems theory can provide a useful framework in understanding how mindfulness both organizes and is organized by interpersonal interactions. We discuss several ways in which dynamic systems theory can inform the conceptualization of mindfulness as a process that takes place both within and between individuals. Finally, we present examples of how fine-grained and time-varying methods rooted in dynamic systems theory and currently utilized in human development research can be applied to understanding how mindfulness is manifested within close interpersonal relationships.

The Life Cycle of Employee Engagement Theory in HRD Research

The Problem Although the current proliferation of employee engagement research in human resource development (HRD) has advanced our theoretical understanding of the nature of employee engagement and its importance, the scarcity of practical knowledge has circumscribed our understanding of how to assess, boost, and sustain employee engagement in workplaces. The Solution Examining the life cycle of employee engagement theory, we determined that employee engagement is in the initial stages of becoming a formal theory. A better understanding of the application of employee engagement theory would facilitate the development of more effective interventions for building employee engagement and would, in turn, strengthen the etiology of employee engagement, which represents a complex interplay of multiple variables involving individual and environmental factors. Key Stakeholders This study contributes to the HRD literature by elucidating the need for greater attention to the practical applications of employee engagement theory in HRD scholars and scholar-practitioners’ future research and practice.

Is Iron Status Related to Psychosocial Wellbeing During Pregnancy? (P10-112-19)

ObjectivesTo examine the associations between iron status, depressive symptoms, anxiety and quality of life (QoL) in 1st, 2nd and 3rd trimesters (TT) of pregnancy MethodsA longitudinal study was conducted among pregnant women in Central Region of Ghana. Women were recruited in their 1st TT (<13 weeks; n = 118) and followed at their 2nd (n = 73) and 3rd (n = 72) TTs. Sociodemographic variables, food security (8-item version of US Household Food Security Survey Module), anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory; BAI), depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Inventory; CESD) and QoL (RAND SF-36), were collected. We determine hemoglobin (Hb) concentrations via Hemocue; ferritin (Ft) via ELISA; serum iron and total iron binding capacity via colorimetric methods and calculated transferrin saturation (TSAT). Stepwise regressions were run to determine predictors of psychosocial wellbeing and ANCOVA’s for differences between iron status (ID = iron deficient; IS = iron sufficient) groups at each time point. ResultsParticipants were 27.1 ± 5.2 years old. Prevalence of anemia (Hb < 11.0 g/dL) was 36%, 66%, 55%; ID (Ft < 12 mg/L) 12%, 18%, 28%; ID anemia 5%, 12%, 20%; depressive symptoms (CESD ≥16) 49%, 36%, 28%; anxiety symptoms (BAI ≥16) 35%, 11%, 2% and low QoL (SF-36 < 50) 31%, 14%, 35% for 1st, 2nd and 3rd TTs, respectively. In the 1st TT, an association between Ft and BAI scores (b = 3.38) and between Hb and CESD scores (b = -0.98) was found but no iron biomarkers were related to SF-36 scores. ID women (by Ft) had lower anxiety scores (P < 0.01) but higher depressive symptom scores (P = 0.05) than IS women; anemic women had higher depressive symptom scores than non anemic women (P = 0.06). At the 2nd TT, no iron biomarkers were related to BAI or CESD scores. Those who were ID (TSAT < 16%) had higher QoL scores than those who were IS (P = 0.01) although the n in the ID group was very small (n = 6). ConclusionsID is related to higher depressive symptoms but lower anxiety symptoms during the 1st TT. It may also be related to higher QoL during the 2nd TT although this finding should be interpreted with caution. Iron biomarkers did not relate to psychosocial wellbeing during the 3rd TT. Funding SourcesCollege of Health and Human Development & Africana Research Center, Penn State; American Association of University Women.

ASSESSING GOOD GOVERNANCE PRACTICES AND DEVELOPMENT NEXUS: AN APPLICATION OF STRUCTURAL INVARIANCE ANALYSIS

This paper aims to assess good governance and development nexus based on the Theory of Maqāsid al Sharī’ah (TMS). The central hypothesis of the paper is that good governance; with a specific focus on human rights and social justice has a significant relationship with human development including factors like education, health, and income all emerging from of the essentials of Sharī’ah. The paper employed survey questionnaire to collect data from 384 respondents comprising Muslims in South-western Nigeria. A stratified random sampling technique was used. The findings show that TMS is effective in predicting the direction of relationship between good governance and human development. The findings further show that the model is invariant across gender groups. This paper highlights the applicability of the constructs of TMS model into human development research. It also recommends strategic policy direction for the policymakers.&#x0D; Keywords: Deprivation, gender invariance, well-being, Maqāsid al Sharī’ah

Social network analysis and social capital in human resource development research: A practical introduction to R use

Social network analysis (SNA) has become increasingly popular in many scientific applications and is applied widely in human resource development (HRD) research. Leveraging social networks can influence learning processes within organizations and provide opportunities for problem‐solving and the generation of new ideas. This article offers a look at the methodological basics of analyzing social networks and the major concepts in social capital theory from the social network perspective. A practical case is made to use SNA in the HRD context. After an analysis of hypothetical network data and application of social capital theory, the case shows how some actors in the network can create social capital from strong supportive relations, whereas others might expect to gain brokerage advantages by playing a role in structural holes. This article also serves as a brief guide for beginners using SNA with R in HRD research.

Voices: The Importance of Fetal Tissue Research.

The value of fetal tissue research cannot be understated and has led to remarkable advances in understanding human development, therapeutic discovery, and stem cell research across many organ systems. We asked 9 researchers to reflect on the impact and key contributions of fetal tissue in their field of expertise.

An Ecosystems Perspective on International Human Resource Development: A Meta-Synthesis of the Literature

There has been significant growth of interest in both international human resource development (IHRD) and ecosystems research. Both literatures highlight important characteristics of each concept; however, to date, they have not yet been linked. We propose an ecosystem perspective as an important framework to understand IHRD. Ecosystems emphasize interdependencies, actor centrality, bargaining power, and relationships between actors as important in shaping IHRD. We utilize a meta-synthesis of the IHRD literature to identify content and process dimensions of an IHRD ecosystem. We conclude with a discussion of implications for IHRD research.

Humanized NOD/SCID/IL2rγnull (hu-NSG) Mouse Model for HIV Replication and Latency Studies.

Ethical regulations and technical challenges for research in human pathology, immunology, and therapeutic development have placed small animal models in high demand. With a close genetic and behavioral resemblance to humans, small animals such as the mouse are good candidates for human disease models, through which human-like symptoms and responses can be recapitulated. Further, the mouse genetic background can be altered to accommodate diverse demands. The NOD/SCID/IL2rγnull (NSG) mouse is one of the most widely used immunocompromised mouse strains; it allows engraftment with human hematopoietic stem cells and/or human tissues and the subsequent development of a functional human immune system. This is a critical milestone in understanding the prognosis and pathophysiology of human-specific diseases such as HIV/AIDS and aiding the search for a cure. Herein, we report a detailed protocol for generating a humanized NSG mouse model (hu-NSG) by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation into a radiation-conditioned neonatal NSG mouse. The hu-NSG mouse model shows multi-lineage development of transplanted human stem cells and susceptibility to HIV-1 viral infection. It also recapitulates key biological characteristics in response to combinatorial antiretroviral therapy (cART).

Introduction to Myths and Realities Associated with Research and Theorizing for Human Development

The five papers in this issue address myths and realities associated with human development research and theorizing. The papers represent diverse perspectives on sexual minority youth, resilience and risk for youth in high achieving schools, a reconceptualization of hostility in African American parenting styles, a critical examination of diversity and contact for students attending racial/ethnically diverse schools, and a thoughtful consideration of contextual factors associated with aggressive attitudes and prosocial behaviors in African American males. The authors of each of these papers challenge human development researchers to consider new and/or alternative ways of examining empirical studies and conceptualizing new ones.

Maternal Depression in Rural Pakistan: The Protective Associations with Cultural Postpartum Practices

Background: Traditional postpartum practices intend to provide care to mothers, but there is mixed evidence concerning their impact on postpartum depression (PPD). It remains unknown if there is a unique impact of postpartum practices on PPD separately from other social support, or if practices differentially affect those with prenatal depression. This study aims to understand if chilla (چ له), a postpartum practice in Pakistan defined by receiving relief from household work, familial support, supplemental food, protects against PPD independent of other support and whether this varies by prenatal depression. Methods: Data come from the Bachpan cohort study in Pakistan. Chilla participation and social support were assessed at three months postpartum. Women were assessed for major depressive episodes (MDE) and depression symptom severity in their third trimester and at six months postpartum. Adjusted linear mixed models were used to assess the relationship between chilla participation and PPD. Findings: Eighty-nine percent of women (N=786) participated in chilla. In adjusted models, chilla participation was inversely related to MDE (OR=0·56;95%CI=0·31,1·03) and symptom severity (Mean Difference (MD)=-1·54;95%CI: -2·94,-0·14). Chilla participation was associated with lower odds of MDE (OR=0·44;95%CI=0·20,0·97) among those not prenatally depressed and with lower symptom severity among those prenatally depressed (MD=-2·05;95%CI:-3·81,-0·49). Interpretation: Chilla is inversely associated with MDE and symptom severity at six months postpartum. Interventions aimed at preventing and treating PPD should consider the potential benefits of chilla and similar postpartum practices. Funding: NICHD (R01-HD075875) and NIMH (U19MH95687) supported this study. The Carolina Population Center provided training (T32-HD091058) and general support (P2C-HD050924). Declaration of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose. Ethical Approval: This study was approved by institutional review boards at the Human Development Research Foundation (HDRF), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Duke University.

Using human sequencing to guide craniofacial research.

A recent convergence of technological innovations has re-energized the ability to apply genetics to research in human craniofacial development. Next-generation exome and whole genome sequencing have significantly dropped in price, making it relatively trivial to sequence and analyze patients and families with congenital craniofacial anomalies. A concurrent revolution in genome editing with the use of the CRISPR-Cas9 system enables the rapid generation of animal models, including mouse, which can precisely recapitulate human variants. Here, we summarize the choices currently available to the research community. We illustrate this approach with the study of a family with a novel craniofacial syndrome with dominant inheritance pattern. The genomic analysis suggested a causal variant in AMOTL1 which we modeled in mice. We also made a novel deletion allele of Amotl1. Our results indicate that Amotl1 is not required in the mouse for survival to weaning. Mice carrying the variant identified in the human sequencing studies, however, do not survive to weaning in normal ratios. The cause of death is not understood for these mice complicating our conclusions about the pathogenicity in the index patient. Thus, we highlight some of the powerful opportunities and confounding factors confronting current craniofacial genetic research.

Exploring human resource development research themes: A keyword network analysis

This study aimed to explore human resource development (HRD) research themes by investigating the relationships among keywords in articles published in the four primary HRD journals between 2010 and 2017. We identified 29 core keywords and then explored the characteristics of these keywords within a keyword network structure. For example, leadership and leadership development were identified as dominant keywords in HRD research. Furthermore, our analysis revealed four cohesive subgroups (i.e., factions) and identified keywords that played “central connector” roles and “boundary spanner” roles, within each subgroup. Specifically, subgroup 1 consisted of keywords connected to leadership and leadership development. Subgroup 2 included keywords related to traditional HRD practices and organizational outcomes, such as training and development and engagement, respectively. Subgroup 3 mostly consisted of keywords pertinent to critical HRD, such as gender and diversity. Subgroup 4 included other emerging keywords including virtual HRD. Through this study, HRD scholars and practitioners may better understand the roles of influential keywords, and their inter‐relationships among key research themes in HRD research.

Talent Development in Emerging Economies Through Learning and Development Capacity Building

The Problem It has been argued correctly that of all the resources that nations are endowed with including physical resources such as land, gas, oil, mineral resources, and financial resources, the most durable resource is people. It is also a truism that regions endowed with large populations such as Brazil, China, and India are now emerging nations with very strong and growing economies. As the world of work changes globally, the demand for talent development is becoming one of the greatest opportunities for profit and nonprofit organizations in emerging economies such as Kenya. Africa with its young and educated population and its competition for talent poses both opportunities and challenges as the continent tries to address this critical component. Nowhere is this opportunity for talent development (TD) more urgent than in Kenya. The Solution Given the rising of Africa’s youth population and the need to develop talent in this region of the world, there is no easy or ready-made solution to guide human resource development (HRD) researchers and practitioners and policy makers in developing and optimally utilizing Africa’s best resource—its people. However, this article seeks to demonstrate how strategic planning and provision of quality education are the best form of intervention for TD in Africa. The fact that individuals have talent is not sufficient, hence the importance of developing talent through learning. Thus, learning requires well-designed quality education and training programs that can lead to people being open to new ideas and a disposition to question what people already know. This is even more seminal especially in the fast-changing technology-controlled workplace. The Stakeholders Human resource officers, learning and development officers, Directors of Human Resource Management, HRD researchers, HRD practitioners.

Talent Management and Development: Perspectives From Emerging Market Economies

The Problem This issue of Advances addresses an important and so far largely unexplored area of practice and research: Talent management and development (TMD) in emerging market economies. Given the growing importance of the emerging markets, understanding how current and future talents in these countries are educated and trained is a matter of high priority for academics, business executives, and policy makers worldwide. However, systematic studies of TMD in emerging markets and especially English-language publications on this topic are scarce. We hope that this work closes an important gap in the academic literature by bridging TMD studies and research on emerging markets, and by providing analysis of TMD practices in a number of key emerging economies. The Solution TMD is one of the important areas of focus for human resource development (HRD) researchers and practitioners. Most research on TMD is conducted in the West, while the current state and indigenous practices of TMD in the majority of countries of the world are not explored. Articles in this special issue provided an overview of TMD in some of the emerging market economies: Asia, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa, and BRICS sector (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) and cover a range of TMD practices and topics. While some authors focused more on TMD in the business sector (e.g., Brazil, Russia, and India), others discussed such topics as TMD in higher education (e.g., Vietnam), the difference between private and public institutions in TMD for managers and executives (e.g., Korea, UAE), and current practices of TMD in the public and private sectors (China). Chapters from China, South Korea, Vietnam, Russia, India, UAE, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Brazil are included in this special issue. The Stakeholders This issue is expected to benefit HRD researchers, HRD practitioners, and organizations by providing TMD theories, research, and practice from different cultural perspectives around the globe. In addition, practical ways of talent development and talent management for organizations are advanced in the issue.

Situated understanding of human development in Africa: Systematic inquiries at the nexus of psychology, social science and history

Gustav Jahoda contended that mainstream psychology’s contribution to our understanding of human experience has been impoverished by a neglect of culture. Over a long series of publications, he argued that the disciplines of psychology, anthropology and history have much to learn from one another, since socio-cultural and politico-economic contexts have influenced the formulation of theories and the dissemination of ideas about human nature. In light of his analyses, I argue in this article that systematic inquiries aspiring to generate a situated understanding of human development in Africa should acknowledge and seek to synthesize the complementary strengths of different academic disciplines. And I recommend that African researchers resist the pressure of an enduring Western cultural hegemony embedded in the methodological dictates of many international scholarly, professional and administrative organizations. Such pressure often threatens to do epistemological violence to indigenous modes of thought preferred by local families and communities in whose care African children are growing up. I end by briefly describing some African studies that illustrate ways in which researchers can address the challenge of resisting oppressive hegemony without losing the opportunity to learn from the wisdom accumulated by human development researchers in other socio-cultural and historical contexts.

Human Resource Development for Racial/Ethnic Diversity: Do School Systems Value Teachers of Color?

The ProblemThe small representation of Teachers of Color in comparison with their White counterparts continues to trouble the teaching profession. Since Teachers of Color often have a vital impact on student engagement and academic outcomes, there is a pressing need to identify policies and practices that increase recruitment and retention.The SolutionGiven the current state of racial/ethnic teacher diversity in the United States, human resource development scholarship can be informative for addressing teacher retention. The Diversity Intelligence (DQ) and People as Technology (PT) Conceptual Model, as human resource development conceptual tools, are useful for understanding ways to support the academic and professional growth of Teachers of Color. These models are positioned to advance educational leaders’ and human resource professionals’ understandings of the ways in which the education field works to increase the number of Teachers of Color who enter and remain in the profession.The StakeholdersSchool leaders, policymakers, human resource development professionals and researchers, and reformers can better understand how school systems value (or do not value) Teachers of Color.

How to Reinforce the Regional Employment Agencies' Network

The objective of this article is to examine the present status and networking issues among Korea's regional employment agencies in order to prepare for a future job crisis and weakened national competitiveness caused by pressure from a super-aged society and the expected fourth industrial revolution. The results are as follows. First, in addition to government departments and regional governments, many employment agencies in Busan are also part of this community such as the regional human resource development (HRD) committee, training institutions, industrial councils, management groups, schools, companies, and research centers. Second, many of the agencies participate in low-level networking, however, on a scale of networking intensity, as the intensity increases, the number of agencies participating decreases. Third, according to degree centrality and eigenvector centrality, Busan and the Busan Regional Job Center play a central role in regional employment. Fourth, the Busan HRD Committee, the vocational training institutions, and the employment service agencies act as facilitators.

Exploring Leaders’ Discriminatory, Passive-Aggressive Behavior Toward Protected Class Employees using Diversity Intelligence

The ProblemAs there is diversity in many workplaces, diversity intelligence (DQ) needs to be integrated alongside intellectual, emotional, and cultural intelligences to be effective. DQ requires leaders to have knowledge to understand protected class employees and the legal mandates and executive orders established to protect those employees from discriminatory practices at work. Irrespective of the billions of dollars invested in diversity or antidiscriminatory practices training, many protected class workers remain underutilized or marginalized due to leaders’ unfamiliarity with these groups of workers and/or incompetence to harness their talents to achieve organizational goals. DQ deficiencies trigger some leaders to apply passive-aggressive behaviors as a coping mechanism. These passive-aggressive behaviors can lead to a toxic and hostile work environment as evidenced through high attrition, unrealized productivity, feelings of frustration, fear, disappointment, resentment, among other adverse responses from both leaders and employees.The SolutionTo efficiently and effectively integrate protected class employees to contribute at their optimum levels, leaders need to possess DQ. Leaders in this study need to be educated or reeducated so that they understand who protected class employees are in the workplace.The StakeholdersImplications for human resource development professionals and researchers are offered. Opportunities for workplace leaders and protected class employees are presented.

The Psychology of Diversity Resistance and Integration

Diversity resistance is the dynamic interplay of individual and collective behaviors, with individual resistance rooted in unconscious motivation and organizational resistance rooted in the collective behavior of individuals. The purpose of this article is to enrich understanding of the forms of diversity resistance and introduce literature which may help move individuals and organizations to more equitable and integrative norms. We present a continuum of diversity resistance and integration in organizations to help human resource development (HRD) researchers and professionals consider how resistance to diversity can be reduced in leading to the full integration of employees. The continuum consists of (a) Resistance, (b) Discrimination Prevention, (c) Access and Legitimacy, (d) Inclusion, and (e) Integration and Learning. A psychological perspective is presented on resistance for HRD professionals helping leaders to facilitate diversity-related change.