Human Resource Developent, or HRD, incorporates both training and development of individual staff as well as broader, more systematic organizational development.  Both of these are personal passions of mine, and areas where I have dedicated significant energy in my professional career.

 

We can define Human Resource Development (HRD) as the transformation of potential into performance, through a praxis-based process of equipping members of a community with the capabilities and opportunities to contribute meaningfully to the fulfillment of a common mission.

 

The idea of transforming potential into performance is intended to capture the full flow of HRD activity, from developing human potential into work-relevant capabilities (this is the training and development side of HRD) to applying that developed and strengthened potential toward effective performance (the organizational development side of HRD).  The hope is that this phrasing captures the idea of HRD as one continuous stream, flowing from untapped potential, through expanded capabilities, to the end result of improved performance.  The two sides of HRD are also captured in the combination of “capabilities” (training & development) and “opportunities” (organizational development) provided to community members.

 

Here I use the term “community” to refer to the various social systems to which HRD might apply.  The term could certainly apply to a business or organization (which are both “communities” in some sense), but is also open to broader referents (such as a rural Cambodian village, etc.).  This strengthens the connection between HRD and the theme of this portfolio:  transformational communities.

 

This portfolio emphasizes the model of HRD praxis developed by Lynham and McDonald (2011), which involves a dynamic interplay of theory, research, and practice.

 

To explore the aspect of my portfolio which contains work related to HRD, please see this page.