Human Resource Development Interventions Research Articles

Human resource development practices and employee engagement: the mediating role of organizational commitment

PurposeHighly committed, motivated and engaged employees assure organizational success and competitiveness. The study aims to examine the association between human resource development (HRD) practices and employee engagement with organizational commitment as a mediating variable.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 760 employees of 13 star-rated hotels comprising 5 (five-star) and 8 (four-star). The data supported the hypothesized relationships. Structural equation modeling was used to evaluate the proposed model and hypotheses. Construct validity and reliability were established through confirmatory factor analysis.FindingsThe results indicate that HRD practices and affective commitment are significantly associated. HRD practices and continuance commitment were shown to be non-significantly associated. HRD practices and normative commitment were shown to be non-significantly associated. Employee engagement and organizational commitment are significantly associated. The results further show that organizational commitment mediates the association between HRD practices and employee engagement.Research limitations/implicationsThe generalizability of the findings will be constrained due to the research's hotel industry focus and cross sectional data.Practical implicationsThe study's findings will serve as valuable pointers for stakeholders and policymakers of the hotel industry in the adoption, design and implementation of proactive HRD interventions to keep highly engaged and committed employees for organizational competitiveness and sustainability.Originality/valueBy evidencing empirically that organizational commitment mediates the nexus between HRD practices and employee engagement, the study extends the literature.

Predictive modeling of career choices among fresh graduates: application of model selection approach

PurposeThe post-pandemic crisis has reshaped work dynamics across industries, leading to a widespread reliance on technology for remote work and business continuity. Operations have shifted to the digital space, altering job requirements and creating new career opportunities. The expansion of the digital industry has generated numerous career choices. The purpose of this study is to determine the relationships between self-efficacy, social media, career outcome expectations and career choices among fresh graduates in Malaysia amid the pandemic crisis.Design/methodology/approachResearch data were collected from a sample of 318 fresh graduates from both public and private universities in Malaysia. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyze the data in this study.FindingsThe empirical findings revealed significant correlations between self-efficacy, social media usage and career outcome expectations and the career choices of Malaysian fresh graduates.Research limitations/implicationsThe present study offers an empirical framework to explain career choices among fresh graduates in Malaysia during the pandemic crisis, based on a review of related literature on careers. This research contributes to the body of knowledge on career choices among Generation Z fresh graduates and provides practical implications for organizations and individual employees. It suggests developing relevant Human Resource Development (HRD) interventions to retain the young workforce within organizations.Originality/valueThis study enriches the existing literature on self-efficacy, social media and career outcome expectations in the context of a pandemic crisis. It offers a new interpretation of how individual and contextual factors impact career choices, shaping the career management attitudes of fresh graduates in the post-pandemic era. The empirical findings also give valuable insights into higher education institutions, organizations and government authorities in Malaysia to develop relevant interventions to assist undergraduate students in their career choice exploration.

What is the impact of knowledge hiding behavior on subjective career success? The role of career barriers for finance professionals in modifying their career prospects

Hiding knowledge from colleagues prevents resource loss and gives a competitive edge. However, knowledge-hiding habits and subjective professional success have received minimal research. According to studies, government (non-competitive) and private (competitive) entities must be examined independently. In this study, the theory of conservation of resources (COR) is used to examine the moderating effect of career barriers on the relationship between three dimensions of knowledge hiding behavior (evasiveness, rationalization, and playing dumb) and subjective career success (organised and non-organised). In order to accomplish this objective, data collected from 280 knowledge employees from various industries was analyzed using the Warp partial least squares (Warp PLS) method. The results validated most predictions and contributed to the COR theory by pinpointing when employees’ resource conservation might change their career success judgements. The findings of this study can help organizations decide when to implement a human resource development intervention to reduce the impact of knowledge concealing on knowledge workers’ subjective career success.

Skilling marginalised or skills eco‐system, precarious workers and higher education—A case study of Roma in Liverpool, UK

AbstractThis qualitative case study explores the Human Resource Development (HRD) interventions utilised in respect of local eco‐skills with one marginalised group, the Roma, in the City of Liverpool, UK, and responds to HRD research calls into the cause of cycles of inequality. The case study illustrates the challenges experienced by precarious workers in accessing education and training. Further, it shares the interventions taken to address inequalities that a Higher EducationUK University and a local Non‐Government Organisation took between 2016 and 2019. Roma is among the UK and Europe's most disadvantaged and marginalised groups. Working in partnership, utilising Community‐Based Participatory Research, we developed three HRD interventions: stakeholder groups (adult and young Roma), motivational interviewing and employability/education events. The findings unpack an understudied experience and context: the need for more attention to developing skills at a local level for marginalised precarious workers. We found that aspiration grew through focused community support and a partnership approach, and educational opportunities emerged, albeit at a relatively slow pace. This paper ends with a call for action for more HRD educators to work with those at the margins of society.

Serious Leisure as Human Resource Development Intervention

Leisure and work are often thought of as independent parts of life. While leisure has the potential of contributing to HRD and vice versa, it has received limited attention in HRD. Therefore, in this study, we used an integrative literature review to explore how leisure can contribute to HRD and become an HRD intervention. To search the literature, we used keywords relating to leisure, work, and HRD. One among several leisure types found was serious leisure. Serious leisure requires engagement in the activity with a sense of self-development. The results from serious leisure could include knowledge and skill development, which might not be related directly to short-term work performance improvement. Despite this, it allows for intrinsically sustainable self-development. Such self-development can yield positive results in every element of life, including work. To facilitate serious leisure as an HRD intervention, practitioners and policymakers need to eliminate leisure constraints.

Finding Room for Indigenous Women in Educational Leadership: Why Structured Mentorship and Training Are Needed

While the educational system attempts to recover from the last few years of teacher attrition and lower enrollments in teacher education programs, there is an opportunity within adult education to both promote and mentor indigenous women in educational leadership roles by providing education, resources, and opportunities during their training. As long as indigenous women educators are still left out of academic leadership spaces, the lack of diverse voices of women in educational leadership is an issue worth exploring. A troubling lack of mentorship, support, and opportunities exacerbates the exclusion of indigenous women educational leaders. The purpose of this paper is to explore ways that adult education programs and human resource development interventions can and should help prepare indigenous women for positions in educational leadership. Educational leadership training in higher education institutions must include structured mentorship and networking programs, efforts to understand how indigenous women learn and lead, and an embracing of alternate, indigenous ways of leading.

A conceptual framework for understanding the learning processes integral to the development of responsible management practice

PurposeThis paper aims to examines responsible management (RM) practice and the learning processes that underpin its development. It presents a conceptual framework to highlight the relationship between the learning experience of the individual and their capacity to develop responsible practice.Design/methodology/approachThis conceptual paper synthesises knowledge from studies of how managers learn for ethical and responsible practice. A scoping review of peer-reviewed academic papers was conducted using key search terms that included “responsible management learning” (RML), “ethics”, “Human Resource Development (HRD)”, “responsible management (RM)”, “responsible leadership (RL)” and “work-based learning”. Analysis resulted in development of a conceptual framework of RML processes.FindingsThe review of studies concerned with how individuals learn to manage “responsibly” identified a range of learning processes that are necessary for the development of responsible practice. These learning processes are presented in a conceptual model that offers insights for the design of HRD interventions. Learning for responsible practice is presented as occurring in learning spaces where the learner/manager experiences a combination of learning processes. These are found to include situated, social and experiential learning that is “transformative”, potentially “troublesome” and “reflexive” such that learners develop responsible values and practices.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper contributes to the field of management development by focussing on the intersection between what is known about how individuals learn for ethical and responsible practice and the implications for work-based learning pedagogies. The paper will be of interest to HRD professionals tasked with fostering a responsible and ethical culture within organisations.Practical implicationsFor HRD practitioners, this paper highlights the importance of work-based learning intervention design. What is suggested is that not all HRD interventions are likely to provide the learning conditions required for the development of “responsible practice”. A review of research into RML points to the need for interventions that offer a deep, personal, situated and transformative learning experience. There are organisational implications that arise from the type of learning found to develop responsible practice. For example, facilitating managers skills and awareness of how they learn such as: developing reflective practices and supporting developmental/collaborative networks that examine existing workplace practices. HRD professionals will need to recognise the need to support individual's learning for responsible practice given that it may entail questioning existing practice, and confronting troublesome knowledge, such as recognising where areas of irresponsibility exist. This may have implications for wider HR practices such as line management support, reward and performance management.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to the field of management development by focussing on the intersection between what is known about how individuals learn for ethical and responsible practice and the implications for work-based learning pedagogies. The paper will be of interest to HRD professionals tasked with fostering a responsible and ethical culture within organisations.

Coaching during a crisis: Organizational coaches' praxis adaptationduring the initial stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The chaotic initial stages of the Covid-19 pandemic severely challenged organizations. Economies shut down and millions of people were confined to their homes. Human resource practitioners turned to organizational coaching, a trusted human resource development intervention for help, however, to remain relevant during the crisis coaches had to adapt their praxis. The working alliance describes the mutual bond, goal, and task alignment between coach and client and is an indication of coaching efficacy. This study investigates to what extent organizational coaches' praxis adaptation at the start of the pandemic maintained a working alliance that still served the human resource development (HRD) paradigms of learning, performance, and meaningful work. Interviews with 26 organizational coaches from USA, UK, Australia, and South Africa recorded during the first general lockdown (April 2020) were inductively analyzed using thematic analysis and deductively interpreted through the working alliance theory and desired HRD outcome paradigms. Findings reveal seven organizational coaching praxis adaptations judged to support all three working alliance components, with "task" and "goal" more prominent than "bond," suggesting a pragmatist preference reminiscent of crisis management. Praxis adaptation also seems to promote all three HRD paradigms of learning, performance, and meaningful work on individual and/or organizational levels. This study strengthens the already well-established link between HRD and coaching by positing that coaching is a dynamic, pragmatic, self-adaptive intervention that supports HRD during a crisis. Understanding coaches' praxis adaptation during the volatile initial stages of a crisis is important for HRD theory and practice given HRDs increasing reliance on coaching.

Technological transformation and human resource development of early career talent: Insights from accounting, banking, and finance

AbstractThis paper provides insights into the opportunities and risks that the technological transformation of Human Resource Development (HRD) presents in the context of early career talent in the accounting, banking, and finance sector. Three research questions are explored. (1) What opportunities exist for organizations investing in technology as a talent management strategy for recruiting early career talent? (2) What are the risks or threats to organizations from investing in technology as a strategy for recruiting early career talent? (3) What role do meso‐level actors play in recruiting early career talent? More specifically, to what extent do the views of graduate recruiters and career advisors as agents of organizations and higher education institutions align or diverge? Thirty‐six semi‐structured interviews were conducted with graduate recruiters and career advisors. Thematic analysis was subsequently applied, identifying three themes (i) employer branding, (ii) virtual recruitment, and (iii) diversity and social inclusion agendas, each presented opportunities and risks. The theoretical contribution comes from advancing career ecosystems and the new psychological contract as a theoretical framework by focusing on technological transformation and capturing the dyadic relationship between the meso‐level actors. Our paper integrates three topic clusters of HRD interventions and outcomes, national HRD, and career development, while manifesting the role and importance of under‐represented career actors. Practical implications aim to help shape talent management strategies for recruiting early career talent. Capturing the views of career advisors in this study can help organizations identify blind spots and inform policy.

Futures and foresight learning in HRD

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to argue that human resource development (HRD) needs to embrace and include futures and foresight learning (FFL) as a new addition to its field of theorising and practice. The question to consider is: How can FFL become a new feature of HRD? A key part of the authors’ argument is that the inclusion of FFL will enable HRD to add to the success of any organisation and make a vital contribution to the management of people at work.Design/methodology/approachThis paper firstly considers some of the debates surrounding the meaning of HRD. The authors suggest that instability of the time serves to disturb any comforts that have been created in HRD and that there is a need to consider how there might be different futures for what we still call HRD in research, practice and praxis. This paper then considers how FFL might become one possibility for expanding the existing boundaries of HRD. The authors characterise futures and foresight as a learning process, which provides new but complementary features to what is already considered as HRD. This paper will show how FFL can lead to organisation's success and the way this can be achieved.FindingsThere is a wide variety of meanings of the term HRD; however, HRD is still cast as a “weakened profession” which has to play a subservient role to others in the workplace. Over the last 15 years, the expansion of the meaning of HRD has been seen as evidence of its evolving and emerging nature and development based on a co-creation with other disciplines. This creates a space for FFL, defined as an ongoing learning process to find predictable, probable, possible and/or a variety of long-term futures. FFL embraces three key processes of scanning, futuring and reconfiguring, all of which contain a high potential for participants and others to learn as they proceed, providing outcomes at each stage. FFL has been shown to enhance organisation performance and success and HRD interventions can play a key part in implementation. This represents a significant opportunity for the HRD profession to move from weakness towards strength.Research limitations/implicationsFor HRD researchers, while FFL is not yet on its radar, the authors would argue that the uncertainties of the future require that more attention be given to what might lie ahead. Indeed, HRD researchers need to ask the question: What is the future of HRD research? In addition, if the authors’ call for FFL to be included in the practice of HRD, such practice will itself provide new pathways for HRD research. Further research questions might include: To what extent is FFL practiced in organisations and what role do HRD practitioners play in delivery? How does FFL impact on organisation behaviour and outcomes? What new products and services emerge from FFL? What new skills are required to deliver FFL? Can FFL enhance the status of HRD practitioners in the work place and its role in decision-making? and How can the HRD profession develop as a hybrid profession with respect to machine learning (ML)/artificial intelligence (AI)?Practical implicationsFFL produces outcomes that have importance for strategy, HRD practitioner can learn to facilitate FFL by action learning and in leadership development programmes. FFL offers a significant opportunity to enhance the importance of HRD in organisations and beyond. FFL offers those involved in HRD a significant opportunity to transfer ideas into practice that have an impact on organisation sustainability. HRD can play a significant role in the design and delivery of ML and AI projects.Originality/valueThis paper concludes with a call for embracing FFL as a challenging but important addition to how we talk about learning at work. The authors argue that FFL offers a significant opportunity to enhance the importance of HRD in organisations and beyond. At its centre, FFL involves learning by people, groups, organisations and machines and this has to be of concern to HRD.

Forgetting to learn and learning to forget: the call for organizational unlearning

PurposeThe purpose of this conceptual paper is to provide a foundation for human resource development (HRD) scholars in attempts to devise mechanisms for establishing and facilitating actionable pathways through which unlearning can be acknowledged and serve as a contributing agent for HRD interventions. This paper concludes with a call to action for our HRD colleagues to join us in further examination of unlearning interventions within the organizational context.Design/methodology/approachThis paper narratively details the literature associated with the myriad social science domains that have investigated the unlearning process. Additionally, a cross-disciplinary literature review provides the basis for an operational definition of unlearning provided herein.FindingsThe field of HRD is devoted to creating learning organizations as well as utilizing change initiatives to develop organizations. However, unlearning has been largely ignored within the field of HRD.Originality/valueThe first contribution is by answering the call of scholars across varied disciplines to further investigate unlearning within the organizational context (Bettis and Prahalad, 1995; Hedberg, 1981; Nystrom and Starbuck, 1984). Additionally, this paper seeks to specifically address the role that unlearning holds within the field of HRD as it builds upon the definition provided by Wang et al. (2017) and offers its own operational definition. Finally, this paper provides the only known review of cross-disciplinary research pertaining to unlearning.

HRD interventions, learning agility and organizational innovation: a PLS-SEM modelling approach

PurposeThis study aims to focus on assessing the influence of human resource development (HRD) interventions and learning agility (LA) on organizational innovation (OI).Design/methodology/approachBased on the social exchange theory, the theoretical research model was developed in this study. This study used cross-sectional data to test the research hypotheses. In addition, partial least square structured equation modelling was used to analyse 413 sample responses from Indian managerial professionals.FindingsThe findings suggest that HRD interventions and LA have an effect on OI. Additionally, age as a control factor also influences OI.Practical implicationsThe study’s findings show that an organization must use HRD interventions effectively to improve innovation. Additionally, learning agile employees also helps in bringing innovation to an organization.Originality/valueThis study is one of its kind in exploring LA for OI by using the existing LA scale. Further, this study is a significant contribution to the existing literature by using HRD interventions, LA and OI in an extensive research model.

Examining the mediating effect of job crafting on the relationship between managerial coaching and job engagement among electricians in the U.S. skilled trades

ABSTRACT Talent shortages among skilled trades workers are a growing global concern in many of the world’s largest economies. In the United States (U.S.), these shortages could cost as much as $2.5 trillion with 2.4 million positions unfilled between 2018 and 2028. Consequences for employers and consumers include reduced competitiveness, productivity, and higher turnover. Engagement of employees in their jobs has become important in industry sectors experiencing these shortages. Several calls have been made to examine antecedent human resource development interventions, like managerial coaching, and other mediating mechanisms that might influence engagement. Feedback, often a provision of managerial coaching, may enable employees to craft their jobs. Thus, job crafting may explain how managerial coaching can help employees to craft their jobs to be more meaningful and engaging. Therefore, this study examined the mediating effect of job crafting on the relationship between managerial coaching and job engagement among electricians in the U.S. skilled trades. A quantitative, half-longitudinal survey design with two paper surveys administered at two distinct time periods in a skilled trades organization was employed. Data from 292 matched surveys were analysed. Findings support job crafting as a full mediator between managerial coaching and job engagement. Implications and future research pathways are provided.

Strategic human resource development in times of business and economic uncertainty: the case of Greek banks

PurposeThis paper aims to operationalise a modified strategic human resource development (SHRD) framework to examine managerial perceptions of the strategic embeddedness of human resource development (HRD) in organisations in times of business and economic uncertainty.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws on qualitative research data, following a case-study research design and semi-structured interviews with 44 participants to enable an in-depth investigation of managerial perspectives.FindingsResearch findings outline complexities in both understanding and operationalising SHRD in times of crisis which flow from managerial differing viewpoints.Research limitations/implicationsResearch findings and conclusions are subject to “respondent bias” as events occurred several years ago, thus participants may not fully recall how SHRD has changed over time. Focussing on a unique industrial sector, as well as to a specific national context, limits the generalisation of the findings in comparative contexts.Practical implicationsOwing to the ongoing business and economic uncertainty, this study could serve as a powerful tool at the hands of HRD professionals to effectively assess the nature of their HRD interventions in their organisations.Originality/valueHaving a modified SHRD framework assessed in volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous contexts, the reality of SHRD in organisations is examined. In addition, focussing on a single sector overcomes the “one-size fits all” proposition of prominent SHRD models. Finally, the paper expands SHRD literature by examining managerial perspectives on SHRD into understudied national and industrial contexts.

Do high-commitment work systems engage employees? Mediating role of psychological capital

PurposeAlthough managers and academicians have recognised the importance of high-commitment work systems (HCWS), work engagement and psychological capital (PsyCap) in service firms, many questions remain unanswered. This study aims to fill the gaps in the area of work engagement by considering the relationships among HCWS, PsyCap and work engagement. In this cross-sectional study, the author drew on the social exchange theory to analyse these relationships.Design/methodology/approachCross-sectional data from 309 employees from India’s services sector was collected to investigate HCWS and work engagement associations. The data were analysed by structural equation modelling.FindingsThe study findings integrate the existing literature on human resource (HR) systems and positive psychology by identifying the critical role of PsyCap in passing the positive effects of HCWS to engage employees in their work. Further, it supports the assumption that PsyCap is formed primarily based on organisational practices, thereby addressing the paucity of research that examined the antecedents of PsyCap.Practical implicationsOwing to study findings, service firms are encouraged to carry out human resource development intervention(s) to make their employees psychologically capable. Since PsyCap is a state-like construct, it can be developed among individuals. Thus, managers can develop their employees’ PsyCap through various training interventions.Originality/valueThe mediating role of PsyCap in the HCWS and work engagement in India’s service industries settings was tested. The present study’s findings contribute to the theory of strategic human resource management by explaining how HCWS can help employees engage better in their work.

Innovative work behavior in Singapore evoked by transformational leaders through innovation support and readiness

The current global economic landscape is forcing all organizational sectors to remain relevant by innovating services, products and work processes. Therefore, more than before, organizational leaders must enable innovative behaviour of their employees. Although the literature shows that transformational leadership induces innovative employee behaviour, the mediating mechanisms between Asian organizational leaders and their followers have rarely been empirically examined. We conducted a survey study among 406 employees from six public and private sector service organizations in Singapore to test two mediating effects between transformational leadership and employee innovative work behaviour. The results supported the hypothesized three‐path mediation model, with perceived support for innovation and innovation readiness as mediators in a series. These findings can be used to design and implement effective human resource and organizational development interventions within Asian service organizations. Our study also extends the literature on the effects of transformational leadership in collectivistic cultures.

Using system traps to understand and potentially prevent human resource development intervention failure

AbstractAdopting human resource development (HRD) activities can lead to improved organizational outcomes, such as improved performance and innovation. However, while the implementation of HRD strategies is widespread, there are concerns that they have failed to support the learning and skill acquisition required to support both individual learning and improved organizational outcomes. Having established that HRD is a systems level issue, this paper applies Meadows's (2008) system traps to suggest that adopting this lens could explain why extensive HRD interventions have failed to deliver desired system outcomes. Qualitative data is analyzed to consider why HRD interventions fail to result in increased capability development in the Australian public sector. The findings demonstrate four system traps were present in HRD interventions, which help explain the ongoing failure of HRD interventions to support required learning or improve organizational performance: (1) shifting the burden to the intervenor; (2) seeking the wrong goal; (3) policy resistance; and (4) drift to low performance. We argue that the presence of these traps suggest that HRD subsystems will need to be reconceptualized for there to be a real improvement. To this end, we apply Meadows's (2008) suggestions to overcome the traps, identifying potential strategies for HRD practitioners to act as system intervenors. Our paper contributes to knowledge through focusing on a specific aspect of systems thinking to help explain why HRD intervention failure occurs.

The Role of Voluntary Military Training in Facilitating Officer - Like Qualities among the Youth: A Case Study on Bangladesh National Cadet Corps

The prime objective of this study is to appraise the role of Voluntary Military Training in facilitating Officer-Like Qualities (OLQ) among the youths taking Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC) as a case. A qualitative research method, primarily an in-depth face to face interview, was conducted to obtain the opinions from former BNCC cadets who had experienced cadetship and were selected in armed forces, or civil services later as an officer. Unearthing the limitations of the program, the study tried to investigate how the OLQ factors are facilitated through VMT program of BNCC. The findings of the study project BNCC camping as a potential event of VMT which mostly covers all the factors of OLQ. Hence, the study also suggested Human Resource Development interventions to develop the instructional capacity among the BNCC officers and military instructors. BNCC is an apex government organization engaged in transforming the youth into a potential leader. Therefore this organization should be supported to transform it into a centre of excellence by facilitating OLQ among the youth generation of Bangladesh.

MAPPING THE DIMENSIONS OF HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT: A SCOPING REVIEW

Human Resource Development (HRD) is a precondition of economic growth, political stability and social sustainability. HRD intervention may facilitate achieving high-performance standards at individual, organizational, national, and international echelon. The paper is designed to explore and catalog different dimensions and variables of HRD through a critical review of existing literature. Hence, the opinion of HRD experts was collected through focus group discussion and face to face interview to authenticate the explored variables of HRD. The study has explored different dimensions and variables of HRD with regard to inputs, objectives, interventions, outputs, outcomes, and beneficiaries of HRD comprehensively by using the scoping review technique. The study has contributed to the existing body of knowledge by providing a new definition of HRD and presenting its different dimensions systematically. There is an immense scope to develop further knowledge on HRD if the empirical validity of the HRD variables is investigated comprehensively.

Enhancing Resilience in Autistic Adults Using Community-based Participatory Research: A Novel HRD Intervention in Employment Service Provision

The ProblemAlthough previous research suggests current human resource management (HRM) policies and procedures do not fully accommodate the diverse strengths and needs of jobseekers and employees on the autism spectrum, the human resource development (HRD) community, including its scholars, researchers and practitioners will benefit from learning more about autism and how people with the condition can develop resilience capacity at work.The SolutionsUtilizing a community-based participatory research approach (CBPR), we recommend an Autism Work Peer Support Group (AWPSG) program as a new framework that can help the HRD community as well as HRM work coaches and disability employment advisors to foster environments, where people’s social adaptation is key for their resilience capacity development.The StakeholdersThe current research provides a framework on how a CBPR approach could be utilized to operationalize the design and evaluation of an employment intervention (i.e., AWPSG) that could involve autistic jobseekers in the process of resilience building. Furthermore, our findings indicate that fostering the emergence of a subjectively meaningful employment-focused peer support group program could help enlighten the HRD community about the challenges faced by this particular group and thereby offer effective autism-HRD advice and support to autistic jobseekers, employees and employers, management, work-coaches and disability employment advisors.