Human Resource Development Scholarship Research Articles

Unleashing faculty and staff potential in medicine: an impact study of human resource development interventions at an academic medical center

Purpose This study aims to represent the initial impact analysis of a human resource development (HRD) intervention – the Center for Human and Organizational Potential (cHOP) – for faculty and staff at an academic medical center in the Midwestern US. cHOP seeks to unleash faculty and staff potential and advance organizational outcomes by fulfilling employees’ basic psychological needs, posited by self-determination theory (SDT, Ryan and Deci, 2000): competence, autonomy and relatedness. Design/methodology/approach Using Cianciolo and Regehr’s (2019) layered analysis framework as a guide, the authors conducted a program evaluation to analyze, in-depth, the nature and impact of two representative cHOP programs: Accelerate and BOOST. Specifically, the authors examined whether the implementation of these programs was consistent with SDT, as reflected in participants’ reported program experiences (i.e. “Did the intervention, in fact, occur as intended?”). The authors also examined program outcomes and opportunities for improvement based on program participants’ voices (i.e. did the intervention, implemented as intended, work?). Because SDT is a theory of individual motivation, the authors identified a need to evaluate outcomes at the individual level and beyond, broadly exploring what would happened if program participants’ basic psychological needs had been addressed. The aim was to determine the potential downstream consequences of intrinsically motivated faculty and staff, while promoting divergent thinking on program impact and sustainability. Findings Participants reported experiences suggest that Accelerate and BOOST addressed all three psychological needs and strengthened their intrinsic motivation to advance their leadership and career development and improve the performance of their teams and departments. These outcomes suggest the potential for impact at the individual level and beyond, such as the institution and external, professional societies. Research limitations/implications The study assessed two representative programs among cHOP’s many offerings. A comprehensive study of cHOP’s impact, directly linking psychological need fulfillment and organizational impact, is beyond the scope of a single study and requires further research. Social implications The authors suggest expanding scholarly discussions in the HRD and health professions education (HPE) literature to characterize the promise of HRD-HPE partnerships and to account for their impact more fully. Originality/value The study contributes to both HRD and HPE scholarship by providing a layered account of academic medical center (AMC) faculty and staff development using an HRD approach; and examining the impact of a theory- and evidence-based novel HRD intervention (i.e. cHOP) at the individual level and beyond in an AMC context.

Bibliometric Analysis of Human Resource Development: Trends, Research Focuses, and Recent Developments

This bibliometric analysis delves into the dynamic landscape of Human Resource Development (HRD) research, exploring trends, collaborative networks, and influential works. Utilizing VOSviewer, we conducted a temporal analysis, co-authorship network analysis, keyword co-occurrence analysis, and citation analysis on a comprehensive dataset from leading databases. Temporal trends reveal an increasing scholarly interest in HRD since the early 2000s. Co-authorship networks unveil collaborative clusters, showcasing influential authors and fostering a collective research agenda. Keyword co-occurrence analysis uncovers interconnected thematic clusters, emphasizing the interdisciplinary nature of HRD. Citation analysis identifies pivotal works shaping HRD scholarship. Integrating these findings provides a holistic understanding of HRD research, offering implications for future endeavors and insights for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers.

Understanding Computer-Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software as a Tool to Enhance Systematic Literature Reviews in Human Resource Development

Using literature reviews to identify new research avenues and provide novel theoretical insights is increasing, with the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) recently gaining greater attention from human resource development scholarship. Analyzing and making sense of literature can be insightful, but also daunting as it involves organizing and analyzing vast amounts of articles and data. Computer-Aided/Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis (CAQDAS) software can be used to support this process by organizing the literature to enable more fine-grained analysis, support analytical coding, explore patterns in the literature, and check for coding consistency. In this instructor’s corner we explain and illustrate some of the CAQDAS analysis actions that can support researchers with their SLRs.

The Hill We Climb: The Future of Women of Color Leadership Development

The Problem There has been sparse research on the intersectional nature of the leadership practices of women of color since the last special issue in Advances in Developing Human Resources (ADHR). Included here are insights and recommendations for HRD practitioners and scholars on developing women leaders of color. The Solution In this concluding article, we make recommendations for future theory and practice centered on leadership for women of color using Amanda Gorman's 2021 inaugural poem as a backdrop. Stakeholders In order to encourage further thought and action for researchers and practitioners in Human Resource development (HRD), this article is intended to provoke thought on women leaders of color and provide impetus toward future HRD scholarship.

Brain-based learning research for adult education and human resource development

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to reveal how research on brain-based learning (BBL) addressing adult learners’ education and training issues has contributed to the overall knowledge base linking neuroscience, adult education and human resource development (HRD) research and practices. Through this comprehensive review of the BBL studies, this paper aims to expand the landscape of understanding educational phenomenon in adult education and organizational settings using the lens of neuroscience.Design/methodology/approachUsing the content analysis method, this study extracts key research themes and methodological choices from the body of BBL studies. In addition, this paper explores the relationships and proximity among key concepts of BBL research using keyword network analysis. For data analysis, this study reviews the current literature on BBL addressing both adult education and HRD topics from 1985 to 2019.FindingsThe findings of this study provide a clearer picture of the potential mechanisms of BBL approaches observed in the literature of adult education and HRD. What has been found from the thematic analysis is that addressing misconceptions about the neuroscience of learning is regarded as an important topic. In terms of the methodological approaches, the literature review was a dominantly used method, whereas experimental or quantitative research has yet to be fully performed. Influential keywords and topics obtained from the keyword network analysis reveal the primary foci and structural patterns of current BBL research.Originality/valueThis study makes a significant contribution to theories and research in adult education and HRD scholarship as it provides an integrative view of key research themes and major issues about BBL. Additionally, our findings offer practical insights for adult educators and HR professionals to successfully apply neuroscientific approaches.

The Relationship Between Work Engagement and Work–Life Balance in Organizations: A Review of the Empirical Research

Employers increasingly attempt to create the right environments where employees experience work–life balance. At the same time, organizations concerned with their organizational-level outcomes encourage improving employee work engagement. The question becomes, how do employee work–life balance and work engagement relate to one another? A similar question concerns human resource development (HRD) practitioners who seek to help both employees with balancing their work and life and employers with their organizational goals. A body of literature has examined the relationship between work–life balance and work engagement, which we review in this article. We identify and synthesize the findings of 37 articles empirically investigating the relationship between work–life balance and work engagement. The findings showed the various antecedents, mediators, and moderators that depict the relationships between work engagement and work–life balance. Furthermore, we provide insight into HRD scholarship regarding how to clarify the direction of causality between two concepts, which has been largely left inconclusive. Finally, our article proposes insightful directions for future research and practice in the field of HRD.

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.

Career transition as identity learning: an autoethnographic understanding of human resource development

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the phenomenon of career transitions in terms of learning using an autoethnographic story of our own career moves. In the contemporary world of globalized flexible employment, inter-organizational career moves are increasingly prevalent and the learning associated with such transitions needs to be better understood within human resource development (HRD). We show that the learning required in career transitions extends beyond the acquisition of new knowledge and the development of new skills to the appropriation of new identities. We overview identity theorizing and, adopting a social constructionist perspective, explain the concept of identity work to understand the nature of identity learning in career transitions. We then reflexively examine our autoethnographic methodology, proceed to tell the story of our career transitions, and then interpret this story in terms of identity learning. Conclusions are drawn showing how the learning associated with career transitions involves conscious and unconscious identity work to release an established way of being, cultivate a new and desired way of being, and to cope with the existential anxieties associated with transition. Significant implications for international HRD scholarship, policy, and practice are proposed.

Under western eyes: A transnational and postcolonial perspective of gender and HRD

ABSTRACTMuch of the critical research on human resource development (HRD) is positioned within Western constructions of knowledge and orthodoxy. Barring a few exceptions (e.g. there is little critique of the ‘colonial boundaries’ for how HRD is theorized and practiced. Global practice is dominated by neoliberal approaches that do not reflect the realities of human development in diverse geopolitical contexts. In this paper, we advance contemporary theorizing by providing a transnational and postcolonial critique of HRD. We highlight the importance of this lens by evaluating gender and difference in the Middle East (ME). We argue that HRD scholarship should reimagine colonial boundaries, and encourage critical inquiry that reflects the contextual and social complexities of space and place. Our arguments illustrate the importance of Islamic feminism in supporting HRD in the ME, and the intersecting dynamics of gender and employment, considering religious, ethnic, and political contestations.

Cultural-Historical Activity Theory’s Relevance to HRD: A Review and Application

In light of recent calls to embrace multilevel, nonlinear, and open systems perspectives for theorizing and practicing human resource development (HRD), this article reviews key tenets of cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) and its applications as relevant to HRD. Specifically, the article discusses the four areas where the usage of CHAT could inform HRD scholarship: (a) systems theory and thinking in HRD, (b) HRD and learning, (c) HRD as design science, and (d) the interplay between research and practice in HRD. Recommendations for further developing CHAT applications in HRD research and practice are provided.

Queering lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender identities in human resource development and management education contexts

Taking human resource development as its primary context, this article asks, ‘How can scholars mobilise queer theory concepts to move beyond treating lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender identities as binaried, bounded and stable categories?’ While human resource development scholarship has made important, albeit limited, progress here, this article provides a review of queer theory to help scholars engage more deeply with some of its key concepts and theoretical resources to that end. In particular, one of this article’s main contributions is advancing the nascent in-roads Judith Butler’s writing has made into human resource development, management education and learning by linking her theory of gender performativity with the notion of cultural intelligibility. The aim of the article is to show how lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender identity categories can be destabilised so that they can be examined queerly: performatively constituted and permanently open to contestation and resignification. Crucially, the wider applications and implications of queer theory are drawn out, such as how queer pedagogy can inform management education. This article also highlights possibilities for management learning scholars to queer other identities (e.g. heterosexual), organisations and modes of organising.

The Unheard, Unseen, and Often Forgotten

This structured literature review explores disability issues in human resource development (HRD) to ascertain what research exists and suggest future research. This review identifies the work related to disability issues published in the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) proceedings and the four journals. HRD scholarship, germane to our discussion of disability, has focused on organizational entry barriers, organizational post-entry barriers, career development (CD) and advancement, workplace training for disability inclusiveness, workplace training for disabled employees, and harassment, discrimination, and allegations of discharge-related discrimination.

Emotional intelligence research within human resource development scholarship

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to review and synthesize pertinent emotional intelligence (EI) research within the human resource development (HRD) scholarship. Design/methodology/approach – An integrative review of literature was conducted and multiple electronic databases were searched to find the relevant resources. Using the content analysis technique, the literature was reviewed and thematically organized. Findings – Seven major themes emerged through the process of content analysis on the body of the reviewed literature. The themes which described the presence of EI-related research within the field of HRD, included: Conceptual connections between EI and HRD; various aspects of EI training and development; the strengths and weaknesses of different EI measurement tools; EI profiles of individuals across various careers; the influence of context in the interpretation of EI; the role of EI in productive interpersonal interactions; and, finally, the impact of EI in leadership development and performance. Research limitations/implications – The search for this review was limited to peer-reviewed published EI-related articles which contained the keywords “human resource development” or “HRD”. While the field of HRD encompasses a wide variety of areas, this study has the limitation of excluding other relevant articles that did not contain the key terms. Originality/value – The originality of this study lies in its focus on EI and developing human resources. It argues that EI is a legitimate organization development intervention that can be effectively utilized to improve performance at individual, group, process and organizational levels.

Feminist Theory and Queer Theory

The Problem Although the workforce has become increasingly diverse, there has not been a corresponding interrogation of the assumptions about the ways that demographics, particularly gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression, relate to Human Resource Development (HRD) imperatives. The Solution This article will provide justification for why feminist theory and queer theory should be drawn into conversation with each other as useful frameworks for HRD research and scholarship. These frameworks are concerned with “othering” practices and the marginalization that can occur in workplaces, and they can assist HRD scholars and practitioners to expand their knowledge about diversity and inform research and scholarship. The Stakeholders Stakeholders invested in this topic include HRD practitioners and scholars, marginalized people, and, more specifically, women and sexual minorities.

Fundamental Choices in Human Resource Development Scholarship and Practice

The Problem and the Solution. Statements of philosophy and core beliefs always run the risk of becoming nothing more than abstract and idealistic pronouncements To come alive, such beliefs must be manifested in the ways in which scholars and HRD professionals actually practice their craft This chapter focuses on three fundamental choices that are critical if we are to manifest the ideas expressed in this volume and to lead the HRD profession through research