Human Resource Development Should Aim to Make Closed Contexts More Open: A Meta Reaction to Wang and Doty, Russ-Eft, and Yoon

Abstract

In this meta reaction paper, I reflect on the initial paper by Wang and Doty (2022a), the two responses (Russ-Eft, 2022; Yoon, 2022), and the final response-to-respondents (Wang & Doty, 2022b). I focus on two observations that stood out for me, encompassing: (1) how HRD is defined; (2) what HRD should contribute to and to what extent the initial authors’ theorizing of HRD is actually “emancipatory.” First, I conclude that Wang and Doty’s systems perspective leaves little room for the individual agency and legitimate interests that various stakeholders have around the ways in which employee learning is organized. Connected with this, their treatment of “the mainstream HRD literature” is not convincing, which limits the rationale for and contribution of their own theorizing efforts. Second, I conclude that Wang and Doty’s work violates the ethical core of HRD and, moreover, falls short of being about “emancipatory theorizing” as they claim.

The State of Theorizing Human Resource Development (HRD) in Extended Context: A Review

“…Similarly, Poell's (2022) reaction to Wang and Doty's (2022a) HRD theory can also be criticized for its obvious tendency to judge values rather than engage in intellectual discourse. Poell (2022) appears to be imposing his own perspective and beliefs onto the theory, rather than engaging with it on its own term.…”

“…Wang and Doty’s (2022a) theoretical framework initially appears intuitive and easy to comprehend. Despite its initial appeal, the framework has received criticism for its obvious shortcomings—some of which have been acknowledged not only by the authors themselves (Wang & Doty, 2022b) but also by other scholars in the field (Russ-Eft, 2022; Yoon, 2022; Poell, 2022). The presence of critiques is vital in advancing HRD theorizing as they pinpoint the framework’s limitations and highlight areas for improvement.…”

“…In this article, I examine and evaluate the human resource development (HRD) theorization presented by Wang and Doty (2022a), as well as the reactions it received from Russ-Eft (2022), Yoon (2022), and Poell (2022), and the response provided by Wang and Doty (2022b). I observe that the principal criticism of the current HRD framework proposed by Wang and Doty revolves around the significance of culture within the host institution system (HIS).…”

Implications for Practice: How to Write a Meaningful Contribution

“…So, the second question to ask is who this HRD practitioner is who would benefit from scholarly knowledge and research. Is it the learner, or individual employee, as key stakeholder, deciding how and what to learn (Poell, 2022)?. Is it the line manager, who organises and supports the everyday learning-on-the job for team members?…”

“…In addition, training as a stand-alone or add on approach is often not the right solution for developing individuals and organisations, as highlighted in the extensively documented failure of many training programs to ensure that newly learned knowledge and skills are transferred to the workplace (Cheng & Hampson, 2008). To offer relevant suggestions for practice, it will be important to start with reflecting on who practice is, and practitioners’ knowledge, as outlined above, and subsequently to consider a range of learning and development approaches that are evidence-based, meaningful, relevant, and specifically consider the importance of learning in the flow of work, the agency of learners, and the fast development of new technology and artificial intelligence to support learning and learners (Poell, 2022; Torraco & Lundgren, 2020).…”