Purpose The purpose of this study is to develop a deeper understanding of the scope of talent development (TD) strategies and practices in tourism and hospitality industry contexts. Design/methodology/approach Because the literature on talent management and TD in tourism and hospitality is limited and fragmented, an integrative literature review method was used to identify and analyze relevant studies to create a more comprehensive representation of the industry’s talent strategies. Findings Findings from the literature review showed that by nature, the context of tourism and hospitality is complex and the meaning of talent in this industry is not necessarily comparable to other industry sectors (Baum, 2008). While most industries adopt a more exclusive approach to develop talent, an inclusive approach may be more ideal for tourism and hospitality especially in light of the importance of frontline employees for business success. More robust management structures and human resource systems are needed especially in small and medium tourism enterprises to aid the facilitation of TD. A partnership approach involving strong commitment between education, industry and government should be necessitated to implement and sustain TD considering the importance of the industry to nation’s economic and social advancement. Research limitations/implications This study adds to the body of literature on TD in tourism and hospitality. Future research opportunities should explore both qualitative and quantitative methods to provide empirical evidence and to further build on the literature. Practical implications Generally, organizations place emphasis on the development of technical skills, however, managers and leaders of tourism organizations should focus on developing both technical and generic competencies especially for frontline employees to ensure that a positive image of the organization is consistently demonstrated. TD can influence employees’ emotional labor; therefore, increased and quality emotional labor training can impact the types of strategies that employees use during guest encounters to promote quality service. Originality/value The paper contributes a comprehensive review of the literature on TD in the tourism and hospitality context. The TD map provides more focused direction and will aid in the establishment of TD strategies and practices.

The Problem Social presence theory (SPT) is the degree to which a person is perceived to be a “real person” in their computer-mediated communication or virtual environments. The level of social presence influences the quality of virtual interactions and outcomes. SPT has not been examined within human resource development (HRD) or virtual human resource development (VHRD); therefore, it is not known if increased social presence could improve virtual teams/organizations and online instruction. The Solution Designing online environments and practices to increase social presence could enhance VHRD within virtual teams, online instructional design, and educational settings. Application of Community of Inquiry (CoI), Social Presence Model, and SPT-inspired instructional design through Gagne’s nine events are discussed with recommendations to improve HRD/VHRD by fostering trust, communication, collaboration, personal relationships, and learning within virtual resources and teams. The Stakeholders The literature and application of SPT would benefit HRD/VHRD researchers, HR practitioners, educators, and team leaders/managers.

As global competition increases and organizations face adaptive challenges, the context of work and speed of change require adaptive leadership. Leaders are required to direct teams to navigate through these new adaptive work environments. This article examines adaptive leadership using organizational learning theory in the context of a financial services organization's post‐crisis experiences. Development techniques are also suggested in support of the development efforts the organization has taken toward implementing adaptive leadership practices.

The learning organisation (LO) phenomenon was created over 25 years ago. Several definitions of the LO have evolved as well as frameworks, features, and characteristics. One of the challenges of the LO’s credibility was the impetus of the creation of empirical methods. The LO theory has stabilised with the involvement of human resource (HR) researchers to bridge the gap between theory and practice. However, in a rapidly changing, complex, diverse, and competitive work environment, now may be the opportune time to further investigate the scope of the LO. The study examines the utility of the LO definitions and frameworks in relation to shifts in the environment to determine if the concept continues to withstand the landscape of the current workplace and beyond. The importance of creating an LO continues to be top priority in numerous organisational industries and communities and its reach is expanding to a variety of populations. However, the LO concept does not necessarily address constantly changing and complex workplace work demands. Therefore, a new definition of the LO is proposed. Recommendations for future studies and implications for HR research and practice are included.

The humanities in general and religious studies in particular are currently seeking new ways to address the learning needs of today’s students. This article discusses one approach whereby humanities students are taught the analysis of data using a variety of web based technology. Using the class we taught as our primary example we discuss the challenges and successes we had trying to bring data analytics to humanities/religious studies majors. In the end we show how humanities students can gain a new understanding of how to answer religious studies questions at the same time gaining skills valued in the contemporary marketplace.