Scholars have largely overlooked philosopher Soren Kierkegaard’s thoughts on occupational, vocational, and work topics, although he did concern himself with occupational topics. This theoretical piece explores Kierkegaard’s concept of “leveling” (Nivelleringen), connecting it to human resource development (HRD) and organizational socialization processes, which are often conducted by HRD departments. Organizational socialization is important as it provides newcomers with functional and cultural information. Similar to the concept of leveling, however, organizational socialization can provide employees with taken-for-granted socially constructed definitions of the self. This article proposes expanding edification and capability for individuals in the workplace via Kierkegaardian indirect communication in HRD and organizational socialization practices.

The majority of mentoring research has explored mentoring from the vantage point of protégé perceptions, reactions, experiences, and development (Wanberg et al. 2003; Kram, 1988). Participants in mentoring studies have commonly been employees, college students, or mid-level managers. Little is known regarding the impact of mentoring roles in relation to top executives who are, over the span of their careers, likely to participate in developmental relationships as both mentor and protégé. In fact, accessing people who are active CEOs has been extremely problematic for a majority of interested researchers (Thomas, 1995). Limited research on mentoring and especially that on CEOs is used to inform the current Human Resource Development (HRD) scholarship and practice. The current study will inform HRD and provide insight into how mentoring relationships can be used to develop individuals in organizations. Key findings from this study were reported from a qualitative study (Moustakas, 1994) involving twelve CEOs of large for-profit US corporations who detailed their experiences as both mentors and protégés. Emerging themes from the larger study overlap, in part, with key mentoring functions as identified by Kram (1988). In addition to reinforcing and informing the work of Kram (1988), key CEOs provided insight regarding their experiences in long-term (several years or more) mentoring relationships. The combined themes resulted in a framework demonstrating the development of mentoring relationships. In addition to a general discussion of a mentoring framework, I focused the study primarily on CEO perceptions regarding the impact of their mentoring related experiences on 1) how their mentors have impacted their development; 2) how they mentor others; and 3) the relational elements in mentoring relationships. Because a rarely assessed population was studied, scholars and practitioners in HRD will gain a unique understanding and greater insight into how mentoring relationships develop professionals, particularly CEOs.

Human resource development, abbreviated as HRD, is a new and developing field evolved from the human resources management, abbreviated as HRM. Compared with HRM, HRD more emphasizes on the development of people and organization, also growth of personal professional knowledge and career. More importantly, it can improve performance of employee and organization. With the introduction of HRD, nowadays human resource department has already migrated from administrative role to strategic partner role. HRD has a large scope, including at least management by objectives, competency management, training management and performance management, and all the HRD elements influence each other closely. By means of human resource development system, abbreviated as HRDS, HRD related policies can be implemented effectively and successfully. ¡@¡@This research¡¦s objective is to redesign HRDS software architecture with structure behavior coalescence to avoid omits or biases in creating this complicated information system. Furthermore, this research¡¦s results will improve communication efficiency and quality on system maintenance.

This dissertation explored the perceived association between scenario planning and the development of leadership capability and capacity. Furthermore, this study explored sophisticated virtual environments seeking instances of adult learning and the conduciveness of these environments for innovative developmental activities to build leadership capability and capacity. Data sources included 1) fifty semi-structured interviews with five expert-practitioners purposively selected for their experience in both scenario planning and leadership development, 2) descriptive process and outcome data from scenario planning programs in university business schools, and 3) fifteen published scenario planning reports, 4) observations of the scenario planning process, and 5) a survey of forty-five individuals who participated in the study of sophisticated virtual environments. The first stream of inquiry that investigated the perceived association between scenario planning and the development of leadership capability and capacity revealed the development of a synthesis model integrated from three informing theoretical frameworks. The model was used for subsequent data collection, analysis, and organization. Each data source supported and further described the associative relationship between scenario planning and the development of leadership capability and capacity; leading to increased confidence in the synthesis model. This study is unique because it links scenario planning explicitly through empirical evidence with the development of leadership capability and capacity. Findings from the second stream of inquiry into sophisticated virtual environments included formal and informal learning in the 3D virtual world of Second Life (SL). Respondents in the study completed forty-five open-ended surveys and follow-up interviews that revealed six enablers of adult learning in SL: 1) a variety of educational topics for life-long learning; 2) opportunities for multidisciplinary collaboration; 3) collaboration across geographical boundaries; 4) immersive environment creates social; 5) health and emotional benefits; and, 6) cost savings over face-to-face experiences. Four barriers included: glitches in technology reduced effectiveness, addictiveness of SL, learning curve for "newbies" and funding issues for small businesses and nonprofits. Also, sophisticated technologies are creating media-rich environments found to be integrative spaces conducive for developmental activities in the field of human resource development (HRD). Scenario planning and leadership development were found to be reasonable developmental activities suited to these digital spaces. Virtual human resource development (VHRD) was identified as a new area of inquiry for HRD.

This study explored the racial identity development of White corporate trainers who deliver training in racially diverse organizations. The purpose of this study was to acquire an understanding about the various factors that affect the racial identity development of White trainers as well as to distinguish ways in which racially diverse organizations support the creation of culturally responsive training. The study sought to identify aspects that affect White trainers’ identity and the role of the organizations in defining, or impacting, competencies related to culturally responsive training. A basic qualitative design guided the study and data was collected through two face-to-face interviews and a written reflection in response to their own completed interview transcripts. The participants included six White females and one male and were employed in organizations in the areas of oil and gas, real estate, retail, and consulting. The participants were identified by their connection to Texas A&M University students and faculty, the Academy of Human Resource Development, or the American Society for Training and Development. The findings of the study indicated that White corporate trainers develop their racial identity through a variety of experiences in their personal and professional environments. The White trainers’ perceptions of racial identity were impacted through environmental influences and their construction of Whiteness. Their racial consciousness was further developed through their work within racially diverse organizations and cultural diversity within the training environment exposed the trainers to their weaknesses and areas for growth. The process of becoming more culturally responsive trainers was a constant evolution that took place through self-reflection and the acknowledgment of race as an important component related to identity and their work.

Denna fallstudie är av kvalitativ metod och syftar till att undersöka och öka förståelsen för hur formella arbetsbaserade utbildningar används i praktiken och vilken roll de spelar för utbildningssatsande företag inom detaljhandeln. Studien behandlar både ledare och medarbetares syn på de tillhandahållna utbildningarna. Resultaten tyder på att formella arbetsbaserade utbildningar kan fungera som en grund för informellt lärande på arbetsplatsen. Medarbetarna tryckte på vikten av att inkludera diskussionsmoment i utbildningarna för ge de möjlighet att öppna upp sig för alternativa tolkningar. Vidare tyder resultaten på att ökat reflekterande lärande sannolikt leder till att de anställda bättre kan anpassa sina metoder efter olika kontexter. Våra resultat visade även på att motivationen till att gå på utbildningarna minskas i det fall den är repetition. Således bör utbildningarna i högre individanpassas.

The research investigates the health services of Pakistan by exploring current Human Resource Development (HRD) practices and social skills training opportunities for the development of nursing staff. The research aims to explore the best practice in social skills and competency development through HRD activities by detailing a project to identify the learning needs of registered nurses leading to improved quality care services. An exploratory research approach has been adopted to achieve research objectives. This mixed method oriented research, is primarily quantitative case study, supplemented by qualitative interviews to validate and enrich data findings from questionnaires to substantiate the research. The data was collected through 600 questionnaires and 10 interviews from five major public hospitals of Lahore, Pakistan. The research has identified multiple and diverse challenges of inadequate and improper HRD infrastructure, transformational leadership and participative style of management is resulting into degenerating attitudes and negative behaviours thus causing further slump. These counterproductive elements are failing to imbibe positive social skills and abilities in nursing staff resulting in creating impediments in deliverance of quality care services. This clearly indicates that there is no policy in place therefore, based on empirical evidences, as well as critical review of the literature, it proposes a model for achieving critical social skills development through training and development in order to achieve quality care standards based on the broad and long-term perspective of the strategy of input, process, output and outcome to support nursing sector, social skills development in particular to achieve optimum quality care objectives.

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