Human Resource Development

Human Resource Development

Concept of HRD
Human Resource Development in the organizational context is a
process by which the employees of an organization are helped, in a
continuous and planned way, to:
Acquire or sharpen capabilities required to perform various
functions associated with their present or expected future roles;
Develop their general capabilities as individuals and discover and
exploit own inner potentials for their own and /or organizational
developmental purposes;
Develop an organizational culture in which supervisor-subordinate
relationships, teamwork, and collaboration among sub-units are
strong and contribute to the professional well being, motivation
and pride of employees.

In 1970 Len Nadler published his now-classic book Developing

Human Resources, in which he coined the term "human resource
development" (HRD).

HRD integrates training, education, and development of

employees.

HRD provided purpose and direction for the continued growth and
organized learning to provide the possibility of performance
change.

In 1987 Patricia McLagan proposed the following narrative

definition of HRD:

HRD is the integrated use of training and development, career

development, and organization development to improve individual
effectiveness

Labour was considered as a cost but now they are considered as an

investment from which returns can be expected.

HRD is based on a new concept of man; a new concept of power;

and new concept of organization.

New concept of man- Based on his shifting and complex needs

Initially strict supervision was there. Labours were treated as

liability. Labours were not well educated and not technically
sound. Productivity came down after doing the same work
repeatedly.
Tech. and spread of education catalysed the promotion of HRD.
(Binny textiles- initially 80,000 workers were there before 1991;
but now there are only 5000 workers of which only 250 are
involved in production.)

New concept of power- based on collaborative co-determination

Earlier there was a continuous conflict between the workers and
the employers because of the clash of interest. The workers wanted
maximization of wage gains and job security whereas the
employers wanted max. of profits and minimization of labour
costs. The employer also wanted a free hand in hiring and firing of
workers. Under the HRD system the employers accepted
employees as collaborators (who works together). Realized the
symbiotic relation between the two.

New concept of organization- based on democratic principles and

social justice
Equality between the management and the workers.
There is not discrimination between the employees.
an Resource Development aims at developing a variety of competencies of
employees and developing a culture in the organization to utilize
these competencies and contribute to organizational growth

HRD Belief-system
Human resources are the most important assets of any organization
Unlike other resources, human resources can be developed and
increased to an unlimited extent
A healthy climate, characterized by the values of openness,
enthusiasm, trust, mutuality, and collaboration is essential for
developing human resources
HRD can be planned and monitored in ways that are beneficial
both to the individual and to the organization
Employees feel committed to their work and organization if the
management perpetuates a sense of belonging
Employees are likely to have this feeling if the organization
provides for their basic needs and for their higher needs through
appropriate management style and systems
Employee commitment is increased with the opportunity to
discover and use one’s capabilities and potential in one’s work
It is every manager’s responsibility to ensure the development and
utilization of the capabilities of subordinates, to create a healthy
and motivating work climate, and to set examples for subordinates
to follow.

Significance of HRD
HRD is needed by any organization that wants to be dynamic and
growth-oriented or to succeed in a fast-changing environment.
Organizations can become dynamic and grow only through the
efforts and competencies of their human resources. Personnel
polices can keep the morale and motivation of the employees high,
but these efforts are not enough to make the organization dynamic
and take it to new directions. Employee capabilities must
continuously be acquired, sharpened and used. For this purpose, an
enabling organizational culture is essential. When employees use
their initiative, take risks, experiment, innovate, and make things
happen, the organization may be said to have an enabling culture.
Even an organization that has reached its limit in terms of growth
needs to adapt to the changing environment. No organization is
immune to the need for processes that help to acquire and augment
its capabilities for stability and renewal.

HRD as a System
The components or elements of HRD are:
Individual Growth
Organizational Development
Work Output

Individual Growth
- Human resources development system in any organization
focuses on the individual and his growth.
- Its aim is to develop human resources to their highest potential so
that the organisational goals are achieved.
- Human growth occurs through learning newer and newer
responses to deal with problems that are encountered in one’s own
environment
- Learning is retained when one becomes aware of results
achieved.
- If individual growth is aimed then people need two things- new
challenges and knowledge of their achievement

Orgaisational Development
- Organizational growth & development takes place through
learning ways to cope with its environment
- Organisation has many inputs- man, machinery material, and
money.
- All the inputs properly managed leads to the orgaisational
growth.
- Organisation cannot develop in isolation
- It can develop only when there is a congruence between
organizational needs and individual needs

Work and Work Output

- Work refers to the setting up of work goals, activities geared
towards attainment of these goals, feedback on performance,
appraisal of work performance, involvement in decision making
process, work and quality of work life
- Work output refers to enlarged responsibilities, productivity
improvement, rewards for productivity improvement and goal
attainment

HRD : a Function
The basic aim of HRD is behavioral and attitudinal change of the
employees that facilitates attainment of organizational change.
This involves three things
1. formulation of appropriate programmes
2. implementation of the programmes
3. evaluation

D Mechanisms
The goal of HRD system is to develop:
the capabilities of each employee as an individual;
the capabilities of each individual in relation to his or her present
role;
the capabilities of each employee in relation to his or her expected
future role;
the dyadic relationship between each employee and his or her
supervisor;
the team spirit and functioning in every organizational unit;
collaboration among different units of the organization;
the organization’s overall health and self-renewing capabilities
which, in turn, augment the enabling capabilities of individuals,
dyads, teams, and the entire organization.
Objectives of HRD are accomplished through the following
process mechanisms:
Performance Appraisal
Potential Appraisal and Development
Feedback and Performance Coaching
Career Planning
Training
Organization Development or Research and Systems Development
Rewards
Employee Welfare and Quality of Work Life
Human Resource Information

Performance Appraisal
Under the HRD system, Performance Appraisal is aimed at:
understanding the difficulties of the employees and finding ways to
reduce them;
understanding the strengths and weaknesses of employees and
helping them to overcome their shortcomings and build on their
capabilities;
helping the employees to be aware of their positive contributions;
encouraging the employees to accept more responsibilities and
challenges;
helping the employees acquire new skills and capabilities;
planning for effective utilization of the talents of the employees.
During the appraisal meetings, the supervisor and subordinates
share their observations and concerns. Such discussions help to
develop mutual understanding and the data thus generated are
reported to higher management and are used in making decisions
about individual employee development as well as developmental
needs of the work-group of the entire organization.
Potential Appraisal and Development
In the organization that subscribes to HRD, the potential (career
enhancement possibilities) of every employee is assessed
periodically. Such assessment is used for development planning as
well as future placement within the organization. Under this
system, it is assumed that the organization is growing
continuously. It may be expanding in scale, diversifying its
operations, introducing technological changes, or entering new
markets. A dynamic and growing organization needs to continually
review its its structure and systems, creating new roles and
assigning new responsibilities. Capabilities to perform new roles
and responsibilities must continually be developed among the
employees. The identification of employee potential to ensure the
availability of people to do different jobs helps to motivate
employees in addition to serving organizational needs.
Feedback and Performance Coaching
Knowledge of one’s strength helps one to become more effective,
to choose situations in which one’s strengths are required, and to
avoid situations in which one’s weaknesses can create problems.
This also increases the satisfaction level of an individual. Often,
people do not recognize their strengths. Supervisors in an HRD
system have the responsibility for ongoing observation and
feedback to subordinates about their strengths and their
weaknesses, as well as for guidance in improving performance
capabilities.
Career Planning
People perform much better when they feel trusted and see
meaning in what they are doing. In the HRD system, corporate
plans are not kept secret. Long range plans are made known to the
employees. They are helped to prepare for change whenever
situation so warrants. In fact, the employees facilitate change.
Major changes are discussed at all levels to increase employees’
understanding and commitment.
Most people want to know the possibilities of their own growth
and career opportunities. Because managers and supervisors have
information about the growth plans of the company, it is their
responsibility to transmit information to their subordinates and to
assist them in planning their careers within the organization. Of
course, the plans may not become a reality, but all are aware of the
possibilities and are thus prepared for them.
Training
Training is linked with performance appraisal and career
development. Employees generally are trained on the job through
special in-house training programmes. For some employees
(including managers), outside training may be utilized to enhance,
update or develop specific skills. This is especially valuable if the
outside training can provide expertise, equipment, or sharing of
experiences that are not available within the organization.
In-house training programmes are developed by in-house trainers
or consultant hired for the purpose and periodic assessments are
made of the training needs within the organization. The effects of
all the training programmes are monitored and added to the data
concerning training needs. Managers and employees who attend
in-house or outside training events also are expected to submit
proposals concerning any changes they would like to suggest on
the basis of their new knowledge.
Organization Development or Research and Systems
Development
This function includes research to ascertain the psychological
health of the organization. This generally is accomplished by
means of periodic employee surveys. Efforts are made to improve
the organizational health through various means in order to
maintain a psychological climate that is conducive to productivity.
The OD or systems experts also help any department or unit in the
company that is having problems such as absenteeism, low
production, interpersonal conflicts, or resistance to change. These
experts also refine and develop various systems within the
organization to improve their functioning.
Rewards
Rewarding employee performance and behaviour is an important
part of HRD. Appropriate rewards not only recognize and motivate
employees they also communicate the organization’s values to
them. In HRD systems, innovations and use of capabilities are
rewarded in order to encourage the acquisition and application of
positive attitudes and skills. Typical rewards include certificates of
appreciation, newsletter announcements, increase in salary, bonus,
special privileges and desired training. Promotions generally are
not considered as rewards because these are based on appraisals of
potential whereas rewards are based on performance. Rewards may
be given to teams, departments, and other units within the
organization as well as to individuals.
Employee Welfare and Quality of Work Life
Employees at lower levels in the organization usually perform
relatively monotonous tasks and have fewer opportunities for
promotion or change. This particularly is true in developing
countries. In order to maintain their work commitment and
motivation, the organization must provide some welfare benefits
such as medical insurance, disability insurance, holidays, etc.
Quality of Work Life programmes generally focus on the
environment within the organization and include basic physical
concerns such as heating and air conditioning, lighting, safety,
precautions, additional physical amenities such as food and
beverages, recreation, and psychological and motivational factors
such as flexible working hours, freedom to suggest changes or
improvements, challenging work and varying degree of autonomy.
HRD systems focus on employee welfare and quality of work life
by continually examining employee needs and meeting them to the
extent feasible. Job enrichment programmes, educational subsidies,
recreational activities, health and medical benefits, etc. generate a
sense of belonging.
Human Resource Information
All appropriate information about employees should be stored in a
central human resource database. This includes all basic
information about each employee, training programmes attended,
performance records, potential appraisals, and accomplishments.
These data are utilized whenever there is a need to identify
employees for consideration special projects, additional training or
higher level jobs.

What is Career?
Career is a sequence of positions occupied by a person during his
life time.
Career does not apply any advancement nor success or failure.
Therefore any work, whether paid or unpaid, pursued over an
extended period of time, can constitute a career.

Individual Career Development versus Organisational

Career development

Organisational Career development involves tracking career paths.

Management seeks information so it can direct and monitor the
progress of minorities and women and to ensure capable
managerial and technical talent will be available to meet the
organization’s needs. It looks at individuals filling the needs of the
organization.

Individual Career Development focuses on assisting individuals to

identify their major career goals and to determine what they need
to do to achieve these goals. Thus the focus is entirely on the
individual and includes his o her career outside the organization as
well as inside.
Assuming that an organization already provides extensive
employee and management development programs, why should it
need to consider a career development program as well?
A long-term career focus should increase the organization’s
effectiveness in managing its human resources. Following are the
positive results that can accrue from a well designed career
development program.
1. Ensures Needed talent will be available
Working with individual employees to help them better align their
needs and aspirations with those of the organization will increase
the probability that the right people will be available to meet the
organization’s changing staffing requirements.

2. Improve the Organization’s ability to attract and retain high-

talent personnel

3. Reduced Employee Frustration

External versus Internal Dimensions to a Career

Every individual’s career has two dimensions or components:
External dimension (is realistic and objective)
Internal Dimension ( represents the individual’s subjective
perceptions)

External dimension in a career represents the objective progression

of steps through a given occupation. Each of the steps in the career
is objective and explicit.

The internal dimension in a career is a subjective concept of

progression. This concept may be vague, as when one has the
general ambition to “get ahead.”

Importance of these two dimensions of career

The major influence on the individual’s attitudes and behavior will

not be objective reality, but rather their subjective perception of
their career relative to their expectations.
So, regardless of what an organization may be objectively doing to
develop the careers of its employees, successful career
development demands that attention also be given to how
employees perceive their career relative to their expectations.

Career Stages
1. Exploration
The exploration period ends for most of the people in their mid
twenties as they make the transition from school to work.
From an organizational point of view this stage has the least
relevance since it occurs prior to employment.
2. Establishment
The establishment period begins with the search for work and
includes getting the first job, being accepted by peers, learning the
job, and gaining the first tangible evidence of success or failure in
the real world.

3. Mid- Career
This is the time where individuals may continue their prior
improvements in performance, level-off, or begin to deteriorate.
Mistakes carry greater penalties as the individual is no longer seen
as a learner.

4. Late Career
5. Decline

Methods to make Organizational Career Development More

Effective
1. Challenging Initial Jobs
There is an increasing body of evidence indicating that employees
who receive especially challenging job assignments in their career
do better on later jobs.
Thus initial challenges, particularly if they are successfully met,
stimulate a person to perform better.

2. Understanding of Career Options

This involves the dissemination of the information about the
various promotional avenues and the qualifications and experience
required to occupy those positions.

3. Assessment Centers
Assessment Centers is used as a selection device, a management
development device as well as a career development device.
By putting people through assessment centers we obtain
observable evidence of their ability to do certain job
Additionally, in his role as an assessor, an individual learns how to
observe behavior carefully, to make inferences from observations,
and to give feedback to the assessee.

4. Career Counseling
A career counseling dialogue must contain the following four
elements:

a. The employee’s goals, aspirations, and expectations with regard

to is or her own career for the next five years or longer.

b. The manager’s view of the opportunities available and the

degree to which the employee’s aspirations are realistic and match
up with the opportunities available.

c. Identification of what the employees would have to do in the

way of further self development to qualify for new opportunities.

d. Identification of the actual next steps in the form of plans for

new development activities or new job assignments that would
prepare the employee for further career growth.

5. Career Development workshops

Career development workshop is a training program designed to
assist workers in managing their careers.

6. Continuing Education and Training

7. Periodic Job Changes
8. Sabbaticals

Methods to make Individual’s Career Development More Effective

Individual’s career development requires people to become
knowledgeable of their own needs, values, and personal goals. This
can be achieved through a three-step, self-assessment process:
Identify and organize your skills, interests, work-related needs and
values
Convert these inventories into general career fields and specific job
goals
Test these possibilities against the realities of the organization or
job market.

Strategies for formulation of human resource development

programmes
Focus on enabling capabilities: problem solving skills, diagnostic
abilities.
Balancing adaptation and change in the organizational culture:
HRD managers must be sensitive towards resistance to change by
the employees.
Attention to contextual factors: organizational culture, size of the
organization, technology, existing skills, employee potentials,
availability of external support system.
Building linkages with other functions: long range corporate plans,
budgeting and finance, marketing, production, etc.
Balancing specialization and diffusion of functions: line managers
should be involved in HRD planning and implementation.
Management should leave the job of human resource development
to experts alone.
Establishing the identity of HRD: HRD function should be
recognized as such with a designated officer and distinct
responsibility; multiple responsibilities produce several kinds of
conflicts.
Ensuring respectability for the function: both credibility and
usefulness depends on this.
Developing monitoring mechanisms: systematic monitoring is
required to review progress and level of effectiveness.
Building feedback and reinforcement mechanism: systematic
feedback loops should be evolved so that appropriate HRD
interventions can be made and consolidated.
Balancing external and internal expertise: consultants may be
called for expertise that may be required occasionally while
internal capabilities should be developed if the expertise is
required on long term basis. However, there is a great risk in case
overuse of either external or internal expertise. If the company
depends on consultants too much, employees will reflect
withdrawal of efforts and be less interested in coming up with
ideas. On the other hand, if consultants are discouraged, they may
remain in dark about innovative and best practices that are
important for competitive advantage.