Module 1

Introduction to Human Resource

Development: Emergence of HRD, Critical
HRD roles, challenges for HRD

1.Introduction to the Concept of Human

Resource Development

KBL Srivastava
Why a course on Human Resource
Development?
 Concern for Growth and development of people
 Developing critical knowledge and skill base to
meet organizational requirements in changing
times
 Identifying needs and designing and delivering
HRD interventions
 Linking HRD goals with strategy and business
goals
 The role of mentoring, coaching, and counseling
 Role of HRD in organizational learning
Purpose of HRD
 Hamlin and Stewart (2011) identified four core purposes
of HRD:
 to improve individual and group effectiveness;
 to improve organizational effectiveness and performance;
 To develop knowledge, skills and competencies, and
 To enhance human potential and personal growth
 Core guiding value of HRD is that of ‘human flourishing’
and this should be embedded as a professional
responsibility for HRD professionals (Kuchinke (2010)
Understanding the Concept of HRD
 , Leonard Nadler(1970) in his book “Developing Human
Resources” coined the term ‘human resource
development’ (HRD).
 Human resource talents and energies of people in an
organization contributing to the realization of the
organization’s mission, vision, values, and goals.
 Development a process of active learning from
experience-leading to systematic and purposeful
development of the whole person, body, mind, and spirit.
 Thus, HRD is the integrated use of training, organizational
and career development efforts to improve individual,
group, and organizational effectiveness.
Defining HRD
 Human resource development is fostering long-term work
related learning capacity at individual, group and
organizational level (Watkin)
 Human resource development is the process of increasing
the capacity of the human resource through development
 ( ASTD)
 A set of systematic and planned activities designed by an
organization to provide its members with the necessary
skills to meet current and future job demands ( Werner
and DiSimone, 2007)
Explaining the Concept of HRD
 Systematic and planned activities
 Provide necessary skills to people
 Meet the current and future job
requirements of people
 Increasing the capacity of people, groups
and organization
 Growth and development of HRD
as a function
 Apprenticeship programmes by the
industry/organization
 Imparting vocational education
to improve knowledge and skill
 Factory run training schools for
its employees
 Training of skilled/ Unskilled people
 Evolution of Human Relations
movement
 Training as a function and profession
 Development of the concept of
HRD
Emergence of HRD
 Employee needs moving beyond the classroom

 Matching the EMPLOYEE knowledge and skill

base as required by the organization

 Career development and organization

Development
Human Resource Development: Core Beliefs

1. Organizations rely on human expertise to establish and

achieve their goals.

1. Human expertise is developed and maximized through

HRD processes and applied benefits of the organization
and the individuals involved.

1. HRD professionals are advocates of individual/group,

work process, and organizational integrity.
 Module 1

Session 2
The Challenges to HRD Profession
The Challenges for HRD Profession
 Changing workforce demographic

 Competing in global economy

 Eliminating the skill gap

 Need for lifelong learning

 Need for Organizational learning

Changing workforce demographic

 Asians will increase from 4% to 6%

 Whites will decrease from 76% to 68%
 Women will increase from 46% to 50%
 Older workers (>55) will increase to 25%
Demographics: The case of India
 India is experiencing jobless growth abounding that the
country’s ability to cash in on its “demographic bonus”, the
world’s largest working-age population— 1033 million by
2030.
 India will need to generate 280 million jobs between now and
2050, the year when the working-age population (15 to 64)
 The proportion of jobs in the unorganized sector—without
formal monthly payment or social security benefits—is set to
rise to 93% in 2017.
 The formation of companies has slowed to 2009 levels, and
existing companies are growing at 2%, the lowest in five years.
(Source: Kausik Basu: Indicators of India’s looming demographic
disaster)
Competing in the Global Economy
 Advances in technologies
 Need for more skilled and educated workers
 Cultural sensitivity
 Moving from individual to team working
 Problem solving ability
 Better interpersonal communications skills and
relationship
Eliminating the Skills Gap
 With 15 million youngsters entering the workforce each
year, more than 75 per cent are not job-ready In India
 National skill development council, Finnish school
concept
 Paradigm shift in employment from being ‘qualification-
based’ to ’skill-based’, making educational institutions
focus on imparting skills leading to employability.
 Need better industry college interface
 Employees need to be taught basic skills:
 Math, Reading, technical/Applied subjects
 Soft and behavioural skills
Skill gap Report: India (2017)
Skill gap Report: India (2017)
Gender wise employability Skills Required by employees
2014 2015 2016
Need for Regular Updating of Leaning
 Due to changes happening in the spheres of
 Organizations
 Technology
 Products
 Processes
 Therefore PEOPLE must change and adopt to these
changes to remain viable
Need for Organizational Learning
 Organizations must be able to learn, adapt, and change
continuously to remain competitive
 5 Principles suggested to become a learning organization
(Peter Senge: learning Organization)

 Systems thinking
 Personal mastery
 Mental models
 Shared visions
 Team learning
 Module 1

Session 3
The HRD Function, Context, and
Critical issues
HRM and HRD:
Human Resource Human Resource
Management Development
Concerned with the management of the Concerned with the development of
people working in the organization. Knowledge, skill and attitude to improve
performance and behaviour
Management function- encompasses many Subset of Human Resource Management
function
Reactive proactive

Effective utilization of people for better Developing the competence of the people
performance
Routine, and administrative Creative and continuous process

Concerned with people Concerned with people, group and

organization development
Functions of HRD
 Training: Improving the knowledge, skills and attitudes of
employees for the short-term, particular to a specific job
or task – e.g.,
 Employee orientation
 Skills & technical training
 Coaching
 Counseling
 Education: Preparing an employee for a future identified
jobs/responsibilities, while increasing the capacity to
perform at a current job
 Management training
 Supervisor development
Functions of HRD
 Development: Developing the skills and attitude not directly
related to job linked to personal growth and development:
 Progrmmes like stress management, Yoga for general health,
leadership development,
 Networking, seminars and conferences, membership of
associations etc for professional development
 Organization Development: Process of improving an
organization’s effectiveness and member’s well-being through
the application of behavioral science concepts
 Macro and micro level concepts
 HRD as a change agent
 Career Development: Process by which individuals progress
through series of changes until they achieve their personal
level of maximum achievement.
 Career planning, management and development
Purpose of HRD at the Micro level
 At the individual level: HRD works at enhancing individual
knowledge, skills, self-confidence and career potential.
 The notion of employability is critical at the individual
level.
 At the organisational level, the focus of HRD
a. To leverage the knowledge and skills of employees
towards achieving organisational value and ensuring
alignment with the external environment.
 b. help organizations foster dynamic capabilities and
competitive advantage with the goal of out-learning the
competition and staying ahead of the game.
HRD at the Macro level
 HRD at the community/societal level includes actors such
as professional associations, educational institutions,
government departments, community groups and
voluntary organizations.

 Such bodies help foster learning and development across

society through advancing knowledge and skill levels
amongst individuals, communities and economic regions.
The learning and performance perspective of
HRD
The context of HRD in Indian Organizations
 Phased economic restructuring to face greater
competition.
 Moving from CRP to LPG Economy.
 Opportunities to expand, diversify, integrate, and
globalize.
 Pressure to change and become a performance based,
competitive organization.
 Concerned for quality, efficiency, productivity and
growth.
 Developing the workforce capable of taking up challenges
thrown by the new economic environment
 The adoption of professionalized HRD practices
HRD Scenario in India
 Lack of adoption of innovative HRD practice in unionized
environment due to lack of cooperation from unions
 Large organizations adopting HRD practice due to
various costs, resources and expertise involved.
 Organizations with foreign participation went for
extensive and early implementation of HRD programmes
and practices
 HRD strategies such as training, performance appraisal,
career management key to improvement
 Lack of professionally managed HRD departments
Indian Organization Resorting to HRD:
Some examples
 ITC took up HRD to diversify its business from cigarette
manufacturing to other products and to develop managers
for new projects.
 L&T implemented HRD programme for organizational
development
 SBI centered around training and appraisal following its
reorganization and rapid growth
 HRD in LIC followed its reorganization and sustained
growth
 Today most of the organizations have a separate HRD
function.
 Emerging Issues in HRD: The Indian Scenario
Changing Environment
Indian organizations have also undergone drastic transformation for vibrant new ideas.

Technological Impact
Focus may be on services which will be retained, re-skilled & deployed by the employees.

Low Commitment from management

Since HRD is seen as a non-productive expenditure for the org the line managers are not serious.

Globalization

This compels them to increase their ability to learn and collaborate and manage diversity & uncertainty.

Employee Orientation

This requires adequate premium to be placed on individual growth & development.

HR Outsourcing

This might pose a threat to the internal HR talent over a period of time.
Critical issues in HRD
 Strategic management and HRD
 The supervisor’s role in HRD
 Organizational structure of HRD
Strategic Management and HRD
Integrating HRD with the strategic needs of the organization by
a. external alignment between the strategic plans of the organization
and external environment
b. internal alignment of the strategy with the mission, goals, belief and
values of the organization
c. need to align the various subsystem of the organization such as
management practices, structure, HR systems, and other work
practices
 Strategic management aims to ensure organizational effectiveness for
the foreseeable future – e.g., maximizing profits in the next 3 to 5 years

 HRD aims to get managers and workers ready for new products,
procedures, and materials
Supervisor’s Role in HRD
 Implements HRD programs and procedures
 On-the-job training (OJT)
 Coaching/mentoring/counseling
 Career and employee development
 A “front-line participant” in HRD
Organizational Structure of HRD
Departments
 Depends on company size, industry and maturity
 No single structure used
 Depends in large part on how well the HRD manager
becomes an institutional part of the company – i.e., a
revenue contributor, not just a revenue user
 Module 1

Session 4
The HRD Profession: Roles,
Competencies and Challenges
Role & Competencies of HRD Professionals
 Three areas of “foundational” competencies needed by all
HRD professionals: personal, interpersonal, and business/
management
 Use to develop particular areas of expertise.

 Finally, the four key roles for HRD professionals: learning

strategist, business partner, project manager, and
professional specialist
Competency Model ( Werner and De Simone (2007 )
HRD Jobs/Roles
 Executive/Manager
 HR Strategic Advisor
 HR Systems Designer/Developer
 Organization Change Agent
 Organization Design Consultant
 Learning Program Specialist

 Source: Werner and De Simone, 2007)

HRD Professional as a Executive/Manager

 Instructor/Facilitator
 Individual Development and Career
Counselor
 Performance Consultant (Coach)
 Researcher
 Integrates HRD with organizational goals
and strategies
 Promotes HRD as a profit enhancer
 Tailors HRD to corporate needs and budget
 Institutionalizes performance enhancement
HRD Professional as a strategic Advisor
 Integrates HRD with organizational goals and
strategies
 Promotes HRD as a profit enhancer
 Tailors HRD to corporate needs and budget
 Institutionalizes performance enhancement
HRD Professional as a strategic Advisor
 Consults with corporate strategic thinkers
 Helps to articulate goals and strategies
 Develops HR plans
 Develops strategic planning education and training
programs
HRD Professional as a HR Systems
Designer/Developer
 Assists HR manager in the design and
development of HR systems
 Designs HR programs
 Develops intervention strategies
 Plans HR implementation actions
HRD Professional as a Organization Change
Agent and design Consultant
 Develops more efficient work teams
 Improves quality management
 Implements intervention strategies
 Develops change reports

 Develops more efficient work teams

 Improves quality management
 Implements intervention strategies
 Develops change reports
HRD Professional as a Learning Program
Specialist
 Identifies needs of learners
 Develops and designs learning programs
 Prepares learning materials and learning aids
 Develops program objectives, lesson plans, and
strategies
HRD Professional as a Instructor/Facilitator
 Presents learning materials
 Leads and facilitates structured learning
experiences
 Selects appropriate instructional methods and
techniques
 Delivers instruction
HRD Professional as Individual
Development and Career Counselor
 Assists individuals in career planning
 Develops individual assessments
 Facilitates career workshops
 Provides career guidance
HRD Professional as Performance
Consultant (Coach)
 Advises line management on appropriate
interventions to improve individual and group
performance
 Provides intervention strategies
 Develops and provides coaching designs
 Implements coaching activities
HRD Professional as Researcher
 Assesses HRD practices and programs
 Determines HRD program effectiveness
 Develops requirements for changing HRD
programs to address current and future
problems
Challenges for HRD Professionals
 What is driving HRD practices organisational settings ?

 Meeting business needs through learning

 Fostering individual employee growth and
development
 Fostering the development of a learning
organization through learning
Challenges for HRD Professionals
 Challenge 2: The changing nature of workplaces
 Organizational change responses for achieving competitive
positioning
 Core organizational competencies for the information age
 Workplaces and work roles as sites and sources of
significant Learning
 Common HRD practices
 Perceptions of recent and anticipated changes
 Skills and understandings Needed for HRD Practice
Implications for Preparation of HRD
Practitioners
 Foreground the Context of Practice
 Address Traditional Training Areas Such as Presentation,
Program Design, Needs Analysis and Training Evaluation
 Foster Capacity of HRD Practitioners to Become Managers of
Change
 Provide Some Focus on Competency-based Training,Workplace
Assessment and Performance Assessment
 Equip Practitioners to Prepare Employees for New Forms of
Career Planning
 Module 1

Session 5
HRD Perspectives and the model of
HRD Process
Learner Perspective of HRD
 individuals as learners and contributors to a productive
enterprise (Malcolm Knowles: The father of adult learning
or andragogy)
 Places adult learning principles into the context of adult
life through the perspectives of
 (1) individual–situation differences and (2) the goals-
purposes for learning.
 Adult learner is concerned with the learning process
within the context of the learning purpose and situation
Learner Perspective (Knowles, Swanson and Holton, 1998)
Organizational perspectives of HRD
 Human being have the capacity to learn and perform
 The organization should focus on system, structure and
process to facilitate learning
 In their matrix of nine performance variables the
dominance of the organization and its need to perform is
acknowledged at three levels-
- Organization, work process and individual level
Organizational Perspective: 9 Performance
variables
Framework/ Model of HRD
HRD efforts should use the following four phases (or
stages):
 Needs identification assessment
 Design and development of HRD programmes
 Implementation of HRD prgrammes
 Evaluation of HRD programmes
HRD Process Model Werner and De Simone,
2007)
Needs Identification/Assessment Phase
 Establishing HRD priorities
 Defining specific training and objectives
 Establishing evaluation criteria
Design and development Phase
 Design of appropriate HRD programmes
 Selecting who delivers program
 Selecting and developing program content
 Scheduling the training program
Implementing HRD programmes
 Identifying the method of delivering a programmes
 Delivery of the HRD programmes
Evaluating of the HRD Programmes
Determining program effectiveness – e.g.,
 Keep or change providers?
 Offer it again?
 What are the true costs?
 Can we do it another way?
Conclusion
 HRD is too important to be left to amateurs
 HRD should be a revenue producer, not a revenue user
 HRD should be a central part of company
 You need to be able to talk MONEY