Perspectives on HRD Scholar-Practitioners: Current Issues, Strategic Possibilities, and Next Steps

Abstract

Authored from the perspective of two scholar-practitioners, this article attempts to further explore scholar-practitioners in HRD by presenting and then attempting to answer four questions. First, why should HRD as a field care about scholarpractitioners? Second, what are the current issues and challenges faced by HRD scholar-practitioners? Third, what can the future hold for HRD scholar-practitioners in terms of strategic possibilities? Fourth, what are some concrete, tactical next steps that HRD scholar-practitioners and the field of HRD should consider?In closing this issue of Advances in Developing Human Resources, some perspective taking is in order. As two professionals in the field of human resource development (HRD) who have earned doctoral degrees, taught both undergraduate and graduate HRD courses, served as consultants from both an external and internal perspective, and chaired or served on several committees in both practitioner and academic professional associations, we are in a unique position to discuss and explore the realities experienced by scholar-practitioners in the field of HRD. As HRD scholarpractitioners, we think it is appropriate to examine several questions related to scholar-practitioners in the field and discipline of HRD. Specifically, this article explores four questions: Advances in Developing HumanResources 11(4) 536 -547