Zhulamanov A., Iskendirova S., Zholaman U.

University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, Kokshetau University after Sh. Ualikhanov, Kazakhstan.

Where is Human Resource Development going?

Its contribution to modern business

Actually, the authors suggest their comments on the realism of Human Resource Development (HRD) specialist’s aspirations and on the validity of some of their beliefs about HRD. It has been argued in the last few years that HRD people turn to ‘learning’ rather than ‘training’, and more importantly, they are driven by the need for effectiveness to use work-based methods such as coaching, mentoring, team learning.

On the one hand, the growing interest in ‘learning process’ at the individual and organizational levels, (as it has been discovered from primary data analysis- ‘Human Resource Development is concerned with organizational and individual learning, and with facilitating the learning of individuals, teams and organizations through the design, structuring and organization of work itself’, plus there is a shifting process from training to learning) means an increased focus on Human Resource Development as an emerging discipline, and a changing role for HRD professionals.

Straightforwardly or by implication, they support a role of learning providers and also, organizational development drivers. Obviously, this can be achieved either internally by providing personnel with occasional courses or externally by outsourcing HRD services on a regular basis. Both ways seem to be an effective but not often recognized by management as cost-effective in terms of future organizational improvements.

On the other hand, some findings from the literature review reinforce the assumption that there is a dominance of training and development in the context of HRD and this is also a growing trend. However, Sambrook (1998)¹ criticized this, suggesting that the role of HRD practitioners seems to be one of facilitation, co-ordination and support rather than merely providing training and development. This is an educational role, informing and encouraging managers and other employees to consider the wider range of opportunities for, and methods of, learning and development. Finally, HRD practitioners agree that the HRD function is concerned with change at all levels, both organizational and personal.

In retrospect, the main research objectives were:

1. To gain a clear view of the most appropriate Human Resource Development role for business, both general and special.

2. To clarify how organizations manage and develop human capital, and what activities are currently being used most successfully?

In this connection, the authors state the following:

1. Generally, Human Resource Development field embraces elements of education, learning, and training and development processes, and aims to maintain an effective personnel development methods delivery across organizations. Particularly, HRD is to meet an individual learning need, response to a particular employee behavior within the framework of the whole working process. Finally, developing human resources leads to entire satisfaction of the personnel needs, whether it is concerned with organization or individual performance development.

Unsurprisingly, despite HRD field has a long history, it is in progress and continues to evolve rapidly. Again, the discussion trended away from the ‘training and development’ process in the direction of the ‘learning process’. The better organizations understand and analyze employees’ learning needs, the more options to develop they have, especially within the framework of increasing process of Information Technology development. Positively, there is a unique platform for synergy of HRD and IT for the purpose of further individual and organizational development.

In this respect, Short et al. (2003)² stated that HRD is a relatively young field, and there are significant challenges to its future. Failing to acknowledge these challenges will increasingly marginalize HRD within organizations. The tasks seen as central to the HRD profession will be taken on by specialists who work in professions more focused on delivering and measuring outcomes, thinking and working systemically, with a sounder theoretical base, with clear standards and ethical codes, with stronger professional bodies and competent practitioners.

Human Resource Development as a multidiscipline field embraces everything concerned with further development, and leads to stability eventually. As for HRD contribution to organizational development, generally, so it is claimed, it makes an outstanding contribution and it seems to last for a long time. Therefore we can make a long-range forecast about HRD future. Without question, HRD is trendy nowadays, and its future is clear and fruitful.

2. Stereotypically, organizations develop their human resources through various training and learning courses, both internal and external. Mainly, companies establish these development programs in order to retain their key staff and let them improve gradually as professionals. As for the operational level personnel, employers rely on their overall potential and the self-learning process. For instance, the lack of talented people in the UK labor market caused organizations to turn to the advantage of the continuous-development programs on individual and organizational levels. However, outsourcing HRD services for organizational needs is still a popular and effective method applied by modern business.

What about Human Resource Development in Kazakhstan?

Evidently, as Kazakhstan’s economy is in transition, the emergence of new forms of business communications and personnel interrelations within organizations leads to rethinking of ‘people management’s role in further organizational performance development process in its wide sense.

In this regard, drastic changes are likely to occur in the area of managing the staff, particularly, at human resource development stage. Therefore, the area of study was chosen by the author in connection with this specific situation in his country’s HR market and future expectations in HRD career. Actually, in Kazakhstan there is a growing interest in human resource development services, as a qualified workforce is considered as a crucial competitive advantage. For example, this month in the former capital Almaty ‘Best HR Awards Kazakhstan’ and ‘Employer of the Year’ competitions will take place, and these events will include training seminars, presentations, masterclasses for people working in human resource development area.

Here, the authors illustrate the possible shifting process in HRD system that might reflect on current HRD programs in organization in an emerging market. (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Shifting process in HRD system.

Learning and Self-learning

Learning and Development

Training and Development

Professional Education

The main results from the study or ideas that can be imported in an emerging market are:

Ø Shift from ‘training and development’ to ‘learning’ process;

Ø Concentration on individual learning needs rather than organizational;

Ø Establish continuous-development programs for qualified personnel;

Ø Apply ‘Outsourcing HRD services’ as an effective resource;

Ø In general, clear the role and goals of HRD and let personnel to devote to learning

process. Also, focus on learning culture and organization flexibility.

The possible implication of the Human Resource Development modern approach is that as an emerging discipline HRD triggers innovations and nonstandard models to be applied by management towards people development. Also, along with technological progress this can be achieved in a relatively short period of time, particularly in developing countries.

References:

¹ Sambrook S (1998) “Models and Concepts of Human Resource Development: Academic and Practitioner perspectives”, The Nottingham Trent University, UK

² Short, D., Bing, J.W., and Kehrhahn, M.T. (2003) “Will Human Resource Development Survive?”, Human Resource Development Quarterly, 14 (3).