Enriching HRD Education Through Professional Organizations

Abstract

The Problem

Human resource development (HRD) education does not take place only in academic institutions. There are hundreds of global professional organizations or associations that are designed to give professionals in the field of HRD opportunities to share their knowledge. Yet, there has been little research to determine what such organizations anticipate contributing to professionals’ education. Particularly problematic is the large number of professional organizations at global, regional, country, and local levels, all of which claim to add to professionals’ expertise.

The Solution

There is little literature focusing on specific HRD professional organizations. In this article, we explore samples of both academic and practitioner professional organizations globally and on each populated continent. We have identified educational outcomes that are part of the educational missions of professional organizations and associated modes. Data were gathered through websites, interaction with professional networks, and our personal experiences.

The Stakeholders

HRD practitioners and academics need to be aware of the significant contributions made by professional organizations to HRD education. This is especially important in countries where there is little to no formal HRD education offered in universities, as well as for all professionals, academics and practitioners, who desire to expand their global knowledge. Greater intentionality of this mission may improve the outcomes experienced by professional organizations and help others select appropriate organizations with which to affiliate.

Keywords

HRD professional organizations HRD journals HRD conferences HRD workshops HRD pre-conferences HRD practitioners HRD academics

Human resource development (HRD) education is typically thought of as related to degree programs. However, a more significant provider of HRD education, at least in numbers, is professional organizations. In this article, we first define professional organizations or associations. We then explore briefly the many roles that professional organizations play in HRD education. We finish by exploring specific professional organizations and their contributions to HRD education. Our exploration is limited to examples of such organizations at the national and regional levels, as well as those that are global or international. If we had more room, we could share samples of local organizations, but there are tens of thousands of such organizations that touch on HRD subject matter.

Definition of Professional Organizations/Associations

Professional organizations/associations are the contemporary version of the guild systems from the Middle Ages. Judkins (1942) defined professional organizations as being “composed of individuals, united primarily by a common intellectual interest in a particular field” (p. 2). We define a professional organization/association as an authority body of a profession that aims to improve and enhance a specific profession and the associated stakeholders, including the people practicing that profession, those linked to that profession, and those benefitting from that profession. The purpose, ultimately, is to serve the public and humanity through focusing on a single area of professions. Today, these organizations, generally nonprofits, also provide a venue for policy and public discourse within the interests of their stakeholders.

Role of Professional Organizations in HRD Education

It is easy to fall into the trap of taking our professional organizations for granted. Few of us have taken the time to reflect on the reasons for our involvement in professional organizations, except, perhaps, to think about where we are going to publish our articles for promotion and tenure and where we will get our next trip (ah, conference, that is) to see our friends. Furthermore, many in HRD do not remember a time when, for example, the Academy of HRD (AHRD) and some of its journals did not exist, adding to taking them for granted.

In this section, we explore briefly 12 educational outcomes achieved through participation in professional organizations. In the process of developing the proposal for this article, reviewers asked whether this topic belonged in this issue. This section is intended to answer that question and elevate the value that we perceive professional organizations make to HRD education. In fact, without professional organizations, it is unlikely that we could develop as an educational field. The list that follows is not meant to imply completeness or order of importance.

Career Development (CD)

CD is such an important outcome in HRD that it is prominently included in many of the popular HRD definitions (e.g., McLagan, 1989). CD occurs for HRD students, practitioners, and academics through all of the professional organization roles included in this section. Such CD may be exhibited through clearer ideas about one’s career path; developing improved knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSAs); understanding better the culture of the field to know whether it is a career culture that is desirable; creating expanded networks to provide mentors for career advancement and perhaps even initial and advanced job placement; developing an identity and commitment to the field; gaining visibility in the field through service and publication in journals of the professional organization; acquiring credentials for entering and advancing in the field; and so on. (See also Egan, Upton, & Lynham, 2006.) With such an impressive list, it is easy to see why professional organizations play an important role in CD.

Career Acculturation

Each career field has a culture to which one who is attempting to enter the field must fit. To pick extremes, the cultures of acting in Broadway and Hollywood are very different from the culture of teaching in an elementary classroom. Learning the culture of a given career field is not easy. Individuals go through an acculturation process on entering a career, which is closely related to acculturation to the organization; yet, it is different as it directly involves a profession regardless of where the individual is employed (Flores, Robitschek, Celebi, Andersen, & Hoang, 2010; Leong, 2001; Lucero-Miller & Newman, 1999; Mahadevan, 2010; Rivera, Chen, Flores, Blumberg, & Ponterotto, 2007). Professional organizations can assist in learning and acquiring the culture of HRD as it is practiced in different places.

Career Identity

Riveros and Tsai (2011) found that, among various measures of organizational and career commitment, career identity was the strongest. It had a positive relationship to career commitment, but it was not strong. When one is confronted with the need to change jobs, the question is whether to look for another job in the same field or to change fields. When one has a strong identity with a field, it becomes difficult to look at changing careers.

How does one develop a career identity? In part, it comes out of career acculturation. How strongly does a person commit to the culture of a field? And how does one define the field? When the demand for business education graduates diminished at the University of Minnesota, McLean was confronted with a choice to change fields or get out of higher education. The decision was made to remain in higher education but to switch from teacher education to HRD. This process was greatly assisted by professional organizations that helped McLean identify as an HRD professional, not only as a practitioner, but also as an academic.

Social Capital and Networking

Social capital theory is one way of explaining why networking is so important for professionals (Akdere, 2005; Akdere & Roberts, 2008). Pruetipibultham and McLean (2013) established how critical it is for the success of expatriates to be involved in extensive networking. Attendance at professional organization conferences around the world has opened opportunities for the authors to co-author, teach, and consult in other countries, develop a global set of friends, and recruit students and post-docs. But networking skills do not come naturally. Social capital is acquired over time through deliberate and intentional efforts.

Knowledge Management (KM)

KM has become a core of HRD. No matter which description of KM is used, KM has at least four key components: knowledge creation, sharing, storage, and retrieval (Nonaka, 1994). All four of these components are represented in professional organizations.

Creation is encouraged through professional organizations’ journals and conference articles; sharing takes place when that knowledge is published or presented; storage occurs through websites, conference proceedings, and journal publications; and retrieval occurs when that knowledge is recovered from these sites. All of this is about advancing HRD education through knowledge.

Expand One’s View of the Field

In an effort to support research development and education of graduate students in HRD, the AHRD has offered the Emerging Research (now called the Graduate Symposium) course in conjunction with the Academy’s International Conference in the Americas since 2002. The immediate feedback was very positive as the course helps students expand their views of the field. Their view of the field had been limited by the professors to whom they had been exposed, the textbooks they had read, and the articles they had happened upon (often influenced by the view of their professors). When they arrived at the conference, they encountered many other professors and practitioners, and students from other programs. They discovered that there were many views of the field other than those with which they were familiar.

Add to this the opportunity to participate in conferences held in various parts of the world, and it is easy to understand how one’s view of HRD can expand even more. Their knowledge of HRD expands dramatically through such education. They learn that, in HRD, there is no one correct answer, but all answers depend on contexts and worldviews (McLean, 2000).

Cognitive Development

Bloom (1956) suggested that there are six domains that support intellectual or cognitive development: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation, from the easiest to the most difficult. All, however, are necessary for the full development of intellectual orientation related to HRD. All these are provided through professional organizations. In fact, the more complex of the domains are encountered as we interact with colleagues, ensuring a high level of cognitive development.

Skill Development

Skills relate to psychomotor application of knowledge. As an applied field, it is particularly important that professionals within HRD are capable of applying the knowledge acquired through cognitive development in a practical way (Osman-Gani & Zidan, 2001; Werner & DeSimone, 2011). Through preconferences and webinars, for example, professional organizations can effectively help their members develop the necessary skills for success (Wiessner, Hatcher, Chapman, & Storberg-Walker, 2008). In HRD, this could include a wide range of skills, such as creating effective PowerPoints, making effective deliveries of training, and so on.

Affective Development

Another facet of Bloom’s taxonomy is the affective domain, which refers to how our emotions are developed (Krathwohl, Bloom, & Masia, 1973), a precursor to the now-popular EQ, or emotional intelligence (Goleman, 2005). Of the three categories of domains, this is probably the most difficult to develop. It requires that we put ourselves in situations in which we challenge ourselves to develop our affects more deeply. Interacting with colleagues in receptions, publicly undertaking debate on important concepts, sharing feedback with presenters after their session—all are contexts in which we can learn to be more effective with our affects.

Cultural Change

Developing cultural sensitivity is very difficult. To change our cultural worldviews, we must first understand our own culture (DuPraw & Axner, 1997). Then, we need exposure to people from multiple worldviews (Adler, 1997). Attendance at an international conference is an ideal way to accomplish both objectives. We come to understand how our culture (especially our assumptions, but also our beliefs and values) differs from others, when we might well have taken it for granted that this is the way most people operate. By learning that this is not so, we begin to confront our own culture and begin to expand to be more inclusive and more accepting of ambiguity.

Individual Certification

Some people look to their professional organizations to provide them with credentials confirming that they have acquired a prespecified level of competence. For example, many people in HRD pursue American Society for Training and Development’s (ASTD’s) Training Certificate, while others may pursue the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM’s) Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and Senior Professional in Human Resource (SPHR) certificates. There are many, many other such certificates that touch on HRD. However, none is a requirement for practice, though some employers may expect applicants to have such certificates. The intent of all certificates is to show that the holder of the certificate is competent to perform in that role. However, Bartlett, Horwitz, Ipe, and Liu (2005) cautioned that such credentials may not accurately reflect an individual’s competence and may not be highly valued by employers. Nevertheless, such certificates are very attractive to some people and are a source of considerable revenue for some professional organizations.

Standardization of the Field

Standardization may or may not be seen as a desirable outcome from the education that takes place within professional organizations. When people exchange ideas, in print or orally, there is a possibility that diverse perspectives will begin to come together in agreement, bringing about standardization within the field. However, in spite of extensive exchange among HRD professionals around a definition for HRD, we are probably no closer to agreement than when we began with the first use of the term HRD (Harbison & Myers, 1964). However, there seems to be increasing acceptance of the concept of National HRD (McLean, Lynham, Azevedo, Lawrence, & Nafukho, 2008), in spite of early concerns about its appropriateness (Wang & Swanson, 2008).

Professional Organization Types

There are two primary types of professional organizations, academic and practitioner. Academic professional organizations, such as AHRD, the Academy of Management (AOM), and the University Forum of HRD (UFHRD), focus more on research and academic programs at the higher education level. Generally, they aim primarily to advance the field through research. Practitioner professional organizations, such as the Association for Talent Development (ATD, formerly, ASTD), SHRM, and the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI), focus primarily on the practice aspects of the profession. Both types of organizations, however, overlap and attract participants representing various academic disciplines and industry sectors.

How Do They Accomplish Their Missions?

As has been suggested already, professional organizations have a number of tools that they use to accomplish their mission and allow them to achieve their educational roles (Bucher & Stelling, 1969).

Journals

Perhaps the first thing most academics think about with professional organizations is their journals. AHRD is rightfully proud of its four journals: HRD Quarterly, HRD International (shared with UFHRD), HRD Review, and Advances in Developing HR. The AOM also has a prestigious list of journal titles relevant to HRD: Academy of Management Journal, AOM Review, AOM Learning and Education, AOM Annals, and AOM Perspectives.

Websites

In today’s world, almost every professional organization has a website. The extent to which they add to the educational mission of the organization varies considerably. Organizations may meet this need by archiving conference proceedings, newsletters, videos of conference keynote presentations, and webinars; providing opportunities for professional chats or blogs, reviews of field-related textbooks, a directory of members and their research interests for networking purposes, and so on.

Conferences

Most professional organizations provide some opportunity for members to get together on at least an annual basis. Educational needs are met through keynote addresses, debate or dialogue sessions, break-out session presentations, preconference or postconference workshops, special interest group (SIG) sessions, space for networking, innovative sessions, meet-the-author sessions, and other formats.

Webinars

A relatively recent, but now very popular, educational tool for professional organizations in meeting the educational needs of their memberships is webinars. Typically, these are offered at no or reduced cost to members but are available to others for a fee. Often, the presenters are members who volunteer as a means of supporting the organization.

Newsletters

Although many professional organizations have newsletters, they tend to have minimal educational impact, though there may be efforts to include some educational content. Occasionally, there will be a short article that contains some knowledge content.

Communities of Practice/SIGs

Many professional organizations have groups that have some common interest that bonds them. These groups may operate almost as autonomous organizations within the parent organization. In other organizations, they are closely monitored. There are 13 SIGs in AHRD at the time of this writing.

Workshops

In addition to workshops offered in association with conferences, many professional organizations offer both on-site and online workshops. ATD, for example, lists more than 75 workshops across a broad range of HRD topics. Although the primary motive may be revenue production, a significant amount of education takes place through such offerings.

Certifications

As mentioned above, certification is only as good as the reputation of the certificate and the demand for it, both from individuals seeking certification and employers demanding it of applicants. Nevertheless, many organizations (ATD and SHRM, especially, within HRD) offer certificates.

Research Funding

Professional organizations can influence knowledge creation if they provide seed money, and occasionally full funding, to scholars, usually in a competitive context. For example, the AHRD Foundation provides a small amount of money annually to assist a scholar in getting started on a research project. UFHRD does the same. SHRM provides more substantial funding; Ferriera, Oliveira, McLean, Brito, and Nunes (2014), for example, received a grant for US$15,000 for research. In a field like HRD, in which it is difficult to find sources for substantial research funding, these small grants are important for academics.

Job Placement/Recruiting

Many professional organizations try to link job applicants to employers. Although it may be peripheral to educational objectives, it does help job applicants to learn about job openings and, with appropriate feedback systems, learn to improve their job-seeking and interviewing skills.

Global Organizations

We begin our exploration of specific professional organizations with those that touch professionals around the world. As space limitations prevent detailed explanations of each organization’s mission, vision, and activities, the URL for the organization is provided with very brief comments about each organization.

AHRD

AHRD (ahrd.org) emerged out of the Professors’ Network of ASTD in 1993. Its mission is “Leading HRD through Research” and targets those with a scholarly interest in HRD, both academics and practitioners, with membership numbering approximately 600. It sponsors four journals, three annual international conferences (Americas, Asia, and Europe, the later in conjunction with UFHRD), and one biannual (Middle East–North Africa [MENA]), occasional webinars, 13 SIGs, and a monthly emailed newsletter. Minimal research funding is made available competitively through the AHRD Foundation.

International Federation of Training and Development Organizations

Founded in 1972, the International Federation of Training and Development Organizations (IFTDO; iftdo.net) is an umbrella organization bringing together many member organizations from around the world (57 full members, 69 associate members, and 5 reciprocal members). It provides funding for occasional research projects, co-hosts an annual conference, and publishes a newsletter. According to its website, its mission is “to develop and maintain a worldwide network committed to the identification, development and transfer of knowledge, skills and technology to enhance personal growth, human performance, productivity and sustainable development” (IFTDO, n.d., para. 1). The website also carries the tag line, “Your connection to the world’s HRD leaders and knowledge.” Its membership list (at its website) is an excellent resource for additional HRD-related professional organizations around the world.

ATD

Started in 1943 and formerly known as the ASTD, ATD (astd.org) is probably the largest HRD-specific individual membership organization in the world. Its focus is primarily on practice; thus, its members and conference participants are predominately practitioners. Annually, ATD hosts a large conference in the United States and, during 2014, participated in 19 conferences or one-day events throughout the world outside of the United States. ATD sponsors two journals (T+D Journal and The Public Manager) and has a book publishing operation. It produces regular newsletters, sponsors many workshops, and offers certification, Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP). It serves as a resource in answering practical workplace HRD issues. It sees its role as educating HRD professionals, especially those new to the field. ATD has more than 120 U.S. chapters and 10 international strategic partners. It plays a major role in representing the profession in U.S. policy issues. Its mission is to “Empower professionals to develop knowledge and skills successfully.”

SHRM

Although SHRM (shrm.org) is probably the largest HR membership organization in the world (with 275,000 members), it represents a broad constituency, including all aspects of human resources. Founded in 1948, SHRM is not an HRD-focused organization, though it includes many components of HRD within its offerings. Its tag line is “Leading People, Leading Organizations.” It has 575 U.S. chapters and subsidiary offices in China, India, and the United Arab Emirates. Its services include a content-rich website, e-newsletters, workshops and certifications (PHR/SPHR), job placement services, an annual international conference held in the United States and many annual specialized conferences, and publications (HR Magazine, HR News (on-line), Legal Report, Managing Smart, and numerous books). SHRM also represents the field on policy issues. Through its Foundation, SHRM offers rather generous, but highly competitive, funding for research. SHRM’s vision is “SHRM will be a globally recognized authority whose voice is heard on the most pressing people management issues of the day—now and in the future” (SHRM, 2014, para. 1 of Vision).

AOM

Established in 1936, AOM (aom.org) represents all aspects of management. Its mission is “to build a vibrant and supportive community of scholars by markedly expanding opportunities to connect and explore ideas” (AOM, 2014, para. 2). AOM has divisions and interest groups that relate to HRD: Business Policy and Strategy, Careers, Conflict Management, Gender and Diversity in Organizations, Management Education and Development, Organization and Management Theory, and Organization Development and Change. However, almost all the other divisions and interest groups have appeal to some HRD professionals. AOM attracts practitioners, but it has a strong scholarship focus. Its journals are generally considered to be of high quality: Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Learning and Education, Academy of Management Perspectives, Academy of Management Annals, and a new online journal, Academy of Management Discoveries.

ISPI

Founded in 1962, the ISPI (ispi.org) tag line is “where knowledge becomes know-how.” It defines its scope as being based on “human performance technology (HPT) [as] the systematic approach to improving productivity and competence” (ISPI, 2014, para. 1 of Our Profession). ISPI’s services include an annual conference, online and in-person workshops, webinars, local chapters, three certificates (Certified Performance Technologist [CPT], Certified School Improvement Specialist [CSIS], Certified Performance Improvement Management [CPIM]), publications (PerformanceXpress blog/e-zine; Performance Improvement Journal; Performance Improvement Quarterly; weekly Performance Digest, and book publications), online interactive discussion group, job placement, and many other services. At present, ISPI has more than 22,000 associate members (non-paid) and 2,200 members (paid).

Others

An extensive listing of international professional organizations with a brief summary has been compiled by Michigan State University Broad College of Business (2014). Some of the most applicable to HRD include:

Academy of International Business (AIB)

International Academy of Business and Economics (IABE)

International Academy of Business Disciplines (IABD)

International Management Development Association (IMDA)

Society for International Education, Training and Research (SIETAR)

Strategic Management Society (SMS)

World Federation of People Management Associations (WFPMA)

The rich educational opportunities available in all of these organizations are evident in the nature of the services they provide.

Organizations in the Americas

Whereas the Americas include both North and South America, most of the identified organizations are in the United States. It was also difficult deciding whether to include in “Global” or “in the Americas” those organizations headquartered in the United States that serve both a domestic and international clientele. Our decisions were, necessarily, subjective.

The Program Excellence Network of AHRD

Established in 2006, the Program Excellence Network (PEN) (www.ahrd.org/?program_excellence) is the academic body of AHRD (2014, n.d.) that aims “to strengthen HRD academic programs and promote excellence in teaching HRD.” Membership is institutional with an annual meeting at the AHRD Americas Conference. Members discuss current issues associated with HRD education and programs. There are currently 25 member institutions, two from outside of the United States.

University Council for Workforce and Human Resource Education (UCWHRE)

Established as the University Council on Vocational Education Development in 1976, the UCWHRE (theuniversitycouncil.org) is a “nonprofit organization representing leading United States universities that offer graduate programs including a doctoral program in career and technical education (CTE) and/or human resource development” (Johnson & Martinez, 2013, p. 42). It is composed of 19 major U.S. universities that “provide research, service, teacher education, and advance graduate studies in career and technical education and human resource development” (UCWHRE, 2014, para 1). Its mission is

to be a recognized force in shaping the future of career and technical education and human resource development through improving the policy and practices of education in the United States toward the betterment of individuals and the larger society. (para. 1 of What Is the Mission of UCWHRE)

The programs and activities of the organization are cooperative in nature in which the member institutions provide resources for collaborative projects.

Canadian Society for Training and Development (CSTD)

A strategic partner with ATD, the CSTD (cstd.ca) aims to connect and bring together workplace learning and development professionals across Canada. Among the membership benefits are an online community, a desktop reference (Competencies for Training and Development Professionals), certification, workshops, seminars, conferences, volunteer opportunities, the Canadian Learning Journal, an e-newsletter, and a reference library. It also provides career services, holds an annual conference and trade show, and has chapters across the country.

Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP)

SIOP (siop.org) is a division within the American Psychological Association (APA) and an organizational affiliate of the Association for Psychological Science (APS). According to its website, SIOP (2014) aims to “enhance human well-being and performance in organizational and work settings by promoting the science, practice, and teaching of industrial-organizational psychology” (para. 1 of Mission). It focuses on studying, applying, and teaching the principles, findings, and methods of industrial and organizational psychology. There is an annual meeting in conference format where members are also offered career placement services. It has two journals: Industrial and Organizational Journal and The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist (TIP).

Organization Development Network (ODN)

ODN (odnetwork.org) is an international, professional association whose members are committed to practicing organization development intentionally and rigorously as an applied behavioral science. Its website states that ODN,

Guided by clearly articulated core values, principles of practice, and ethical standards . . . is committed to advancing the theory and practice of organization development by cultivating and serving those who aspire to effective, successful OD practice, and by representing the field of OD by promoting more visibility, credibility, and influence for its members. (para. 2 of Welcome)

There is an annual conference, ongoing professional development activities, a job center, networking links, and a journal, The OD Practitioner.

International Society for Organization Development and Change (ISODC)

Formerly the Organization Development Institute, ISODC (isodc.org) is the leading international academic professional organization for organization development and change. ISODC achieves this through innovative research, education, publications, consulting, and advisory services offered to businesses, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), higher education, and governments. The organization holds an annual conference, publishes the Organization Development Journal, and offers webinars and career services.

Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE)

The ACTE (acteonline.org), according to its website, “is the largest U.S. education association dedicated to the advancement of education that prepares youth and adults for careers” (para. 1 of About ACTE), exploring ways to prepare employees for a wide range of high-wage, high-skill, and high-demand careers in a rapidly changing work environment. ACTE serves both high school students and adults. It provides policy advocacy for career and technical education, as well as resources and professional development opportunities, including an annual conference. Its journal is Techniques.

The American Association for Adult and Continuing Education (AAACE)

The AAACE (aaace.org), per its website, provides

leadership for the field of adult and continuing education by expanding opportunities for adult growth and development; unifying adult educators; fostering the development and dissemination of theory, research, information, and best practices; promoting identity and standards for the profession; and advocating relevant public policy and social change initiatives. (para. 1 of Mission Statement)

The organization publishes 4 peer-reviewed journals and has 8 commissions, 28 SIGs, and an annual conference.

The Brazilian Association of Training and Development (ABTD)

The ABTD (abtd.com.br) aims to create enabling conditions for HR and training professionals and the roles they play in organizations. Its main objective is the development of human potential in Brazil. Since 1971, ABTD has strived to enhance its members through professional development. It holds national, regional, and continental conferences; ABTD published the Handbook of Training and Development, now in its fourth edition.

Others

Associacion Latinoamericana de D.O. (ALDO)

British Columbia OD Network (BCODN)

Organization Development Network of Ottawa-Outaouais (ODNOO)

ODNET Toronto

PRO-DO—OD Mexican Professional Association

Reseau do Quebec OD Network

Organizations in Europe

University Forum for HRD (UFHRD)

UFHRD (ufhrd.co.uk) is an international professional association for universities, practitioners, and learning-focused organizations aiming to “create, develop and inform leading-edge HRD theories and practices by promoting professionally focused qualifications, cooperative research initiatives, consultancy interventions” (UFHRD, 2014, para. 1). Its members are institutions, universities, and other professional organizations, in “the UK, Ireland, mainland Europe and the USA” (Stewart, Lee, & Poell, 2013, p. 39), supplemented with individual associate members. At the time of writing, it had 57 member institutions primarily from the United Kingdom and Ireland.

To achieve its mission, it highlights and encourages research (including an annual conference), as well as teaching and learning. It is the leading HRD professional organization in Europe. AHRD collaborates with UFHRD in hosting an annual conference in Europe.

European Research Network in Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)

VETNET (vetnet.mixxt.org) serves as a network covering a broad range of research, including school-based and workplace-based learning, the development of pedagogic expertise, and offering development activities related to vocational education and training in Europe. The field of VET-related research covers both initial VET and continuing vocational training. VETNET fosters discussion related to policy implications for vocational education in Europe. There is an annual conference, and it publishes the International Journal for Research in Vocational Education and Training.

Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)

CIPD (cipd.co.uk) is an international professional association based in the United Kingdom focusing on HR and people development. It has more than 130,000 members around the world. CIPD promotes better work and work conditions for the benefit of individuals, businesses, economies, and society based on the principle stated in the website that “good work and all it entails is good for business and society, and what is good for business should also be good for people’s working lives” (para. 2 of About Us). CIPD fosters an environment that supports extensive research, effective leadership, professional development, and HR professional standards to enhance and improve capabilities and experience of organizations through studying how they operate, perform, and manage their people. (See more in Stewart, Mills, & Sambrook, 2015)

Others

Each European country has a professional organization associated with HRD (primarily through HR). The website for the European Association for People Management (www.eapm.org/members-countries/turkey) provides an extensive list of the 29 organizations related to HRD in Europe. A small sampling includes:

South-East European OD Network (SEEODN)

PERYÖN–Türkiye İnsan Yönetimi Derneği (Turkish Association for HRM)

Finland Association for HRM

Moscow OD Network (MODN)

Organizations in Asia

The size of the Asia region and the number of professional organizations that touch on HRD is so large that we can touch on only some organizations as examples.

AHRD Asia

In 2002, AHRD offered its first Asian AHRD conference, held in India. It has successfully run annual scholarly conferences each year in cooperation with a host institution. Conferences have been held across Asia. Each conference has preconference workshops. Other educational impact comes from the parent AHRD organization. Membership in the Academy is not required for participation.

Asia Pacific Federation of HRM

This is a country-member organization, with a convention that rotates from one of its 14 member countries to another (apfhrm.com).

AHRD India

Founded in 1990, AHRD India, according to its website (academyofhrd.org), is “India’s premier institution specializing in human resources development for all organizational forms” (para. 1 of Mission). This is accomplished by “running high quality HRD related academic and management development programs, conferences, seminars and conclaves, research and publication, collaborative diploma programs and consultancy and provides services for the NGO Sector” (para. 1 of Mission). The India SIG of AHRD and AHRD India are beginning to collaborate on issues of mutual interest. AHRD India is not part of AHRD.

Organizations in South Korea

South Korea has four HRD professional organizations with one coordinating association as follows:

Korea Association of HRD

Korean Society for Training and Development

Korean Society for Learning and Performance

Adult and Continuing Education of Korea

Korean Joint Association of HRD

There is little evidence that any of these organizations will set aside their autonomy to unite into one organization. See detailed descriptions of all of these organizations in this issue (Lim & Cho, 2015).

Personnel Management Association of Thailand (PMAT)

Unfortunately, the website for the PMAT (pmat.or.th) is only in Thai. However, PMAT hosts an annual conference, presents numerous workshops annually, offers consulting services, supports research, offers certification, publishes HR Journal (scholarly) and People Magazine (practitioner), publishes and distributes books, and publishes a member newsletter.

Others

Although we provide a list of other professional organizations with interests in HRD in Asia, this list, as with the others in the “Others” category, is incomplete:

AHRD China SIG

AHRD India SIG

AHRD Korea SIG

Bangladesh Society for HRM (BSHRM)

Chinese Taipei - Chinese Human Resource Management Association (CHRMA)

Hong Kong Institute of HRM (HKIHRM)

Institute of Personnel Management Sri Lanka (IPMSL)

Japan Society for HRM (JSHRM)

Malaysian Institute of HRM (MIHRM)

People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP)

Singapore HR Institute (SHRI)

Singapore Institute of Management OD Group

Singapore Training and Development Association (STDA)

Organizations in MENA

HRD is not well established in the MENA region; in fact, we are aware of only one academic program specifically focused on HRD (in Morocco), though a U.S.-based program did operate for a number of years in Saudi Arabia in conjunction with the Arabian Society for HRM (ASHRM). Thus, HRD in MENA is embedded in HRM professional organizations.

AHRD MENA

AHRD (headquartered in the United States) holds a joint conference with AHRD Asia on a biannual basis in the MENA region.

ASHRM

Founded in 1991, ASHRM (ashrm.com) is

the world’s first and only society dedicated to the development of HR Professionals in the Arab world. Based in Arabia and staffed by nationals, we are focused on building the reputation and expertise of HR Professionals across the region. (ASHRM, 2014, para. 1 of About Us)

It sponsors an annual conference in the region and has historically sponsored educational certificate and degree activities but no longer does.

SHRM MENA

SHRM launched

an entity in Dubai Knowledge Village, the world’s only Free Zone dedicated to Human Resource Management and learning excellence. Our Dubai office offers direct regional support for SHRM’s vision and objectives within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Middle East. (shrm.org/pages/MENA.aspx)

Others

Al Maliki for Training and Development (UAE)

Arab Trainers Union (Jordan)

ASTD MENA

Bahrain Society for Training and Development

Moroccan Association of HR Professionals (AGEF)

Organizations in Africa

Almost every country—and many regions—in Africa has a country-based professional organization dealing in some aspect of HRD. Space limitations for this article, however, preclude extensive exploration of such organizations. We have included a description of only a few (in South Africa, which has a more focused HRD approach in its professional organizations), along with a sampling of other professional organizations more focused on HRM.

South African Board for People Practices (SABPP)

SABPP (sabpp.co.za/) is the professional HR association of South Africa involved with the transformation, sourcing, training, retaining talent, and ensuring harmonious work relationships in South African organizations. The SABPP promotes the HR profession across the country. It provides mentoring, legislative advocacy, volunteering opportunities, and career services to its members, while fostering ethical HR standards.

HRD Council of South Africa (HRDCSA)

The HRDCSA (www.hrdcsa.org.za) is

a national, multi-tiered, and multi-stakeholder advisory body under the leadership of the Deputy President of South Africa . . . to build the South African HRD base required to ensure a prosperous and inclusive South African society and economy, focusing on the development of strategy and the creation of a platform where social partners can engage to find ways to address bottlenecks in the development of human resources and skills in South Africa. (HRDCSA, 2014, para. 1-2 of About HRDCSA)

Others

African Federation of Human Resource Management Associations) with 16 member countries across Africa (AFHRMA)

African Human Resource Confederation (AHRC)

African Union of Human Resources

Institute of People Management

Nigeria OD Practitioners Network (NODPN)

Organizations in Australasia

Australasia is dominated by Australia and New Zealand, but it also includes many of the islands of the South Pacific that are in the broad regional area of Australia and New Zealand.

Australian and New Zealand International Business Academy (ANZIBA)

ANZIBA (anziba.org) fosters “education and advance teaching and research in the field of international business in Australia and New Zealand. Subject areas include international management, human resource management” (Michigan State University, 2014, 4th organization listed).

Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI)

The AHRI (ahri.com.au) is the national Australian association representing human resource and people management professionals. Beyond its annual convention, AHRI offers many other services, including networks, an online bookstore, a blog, HR Monthly, reports and white papers, research projects, social networks, and access to the Asia Pacific Journal of HR.

Human Resource Institute New Zealand (HRINZ)

The HRINZ (hrinz.org.nz) is the professional body for those involved in HRM and the development of people in New Zealand. Although foundations were laid as early as 1951, it was not until 1969 that the organization was officially organized. In addition to an annual 3-day conference, HRINZ also sponsors annual regional 1-day conferences and a biannual national research forum. The organization also offers on-site workshops and numerous webinars. Its journals are Human Resources Magazine and NZ Journal of HRM. It also provides benchmarking data, represents its membership in legislative issues, conducts research, and provides resources for the workplace. From its website, its mission is “The new Institute described itself as a non-political association of people with interests and expert knowledge, experience and skills in the areas of human resources management and development at all levels within industrial, commercial, government, education and service organisations” (HRINZ, 2014, para. 7 of History).

Others

Fiji Human Resources Institute (FHRI)

Papua New Guinea Human Resources Institute (PNGHRI)

Organization Development Australia (ODA)

Conclusion

This article explored HRD professional organizations globally and how these organizations support HRD education. Although not complete, it is an extensive list. This evidence supports the important role of professional organizations in HRD education. A common characteristic of these organizations is that they are non-for-profits bringing together research, practice, and learning, often drawing from a variety of academic disciplines, professional backgrounds, and expertise. These organizations contribute extensively to the profession, including both academics and practitioners. Their contributions include helping their members gain administrative competencies (Penner, 1999), developing an understanding of ethics and fostering an ethical professional culture (Gaumnitz & Lere, 2002), helping members develop leadership skills necessary in today’s global world (Gray, 2005), supporting and managing continuing professional development for members (Jones & Robinson, 1997), helping strengthen individual commitment to the profession (Wallace, 1995), helping professionals in strategic planning and achieving critical success (Cooper & Downer, 2012), and setting professional standards and boosting trust in stakeholders (Atchinson, 2005). This article further validates that the field of HRD exists around the world embracing HRD at individual, group, organizational, national, and societal levels.

In terms of HRD education, these organizations play a major role in HRD’s curricular scope (May, 2007; Trehan, 2004), quality of HRD academic programs (Rose & Naresh, 2006), HRD education (Akdere & Conceição, 2009; Cornacchione & Daugherty, 2013; Kuchinke, 2002; Rocco & Plakhotnik, 2009), and HRD research (Doloriert, Sambrook, & Stewart, 2012; Harte & Stewart, 2010). We conclude that, for the future success and existence of the discipline of HRD, professional organizations and associations are vital for the HRD profession, education, research, and practice.

Footnotes

Declaration of Conflicting Interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Author Biographies

Gary N. McLean (EdD, PhD hon.) is president of McLean Global Consulting, Inc., a family business. As an OD practitioner, he works extensively globally. He has just completed an assignment in the Graduate School of Management in the International Islamic University of Malaysia as “Renowned Scholar.” He teaches regularly in the PhD program in human resource development (HRD) at NIDA (National Institute of Development Administration) in Thailand and in a master’s program at UABC (Autonomous University of Baja California) in Mexico. He is professor emeritus and co-founder of the HRD program at the University of Minnesota. He served as president of the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) and the International Management Development Association. His research interests are broad, focusing primarily on organization development and national and international HRD.

Mesut Akdere is an associate professor in the Department of Administrative Leadership at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. He received his PhD from the University of Minnesota in HRD with a minor in human resources and industrial relations. His research focuses on quality management, leadership, and performance improvement through training and organization development. He is also the recipient of the 2012 Early Career Scholar Award of the AHRD.

References

Adler

N. J.

(1997). International dimensions of organizational behavior (3rd ed.). Cincinnati, OH: Southwestern College.

Akdere

(2005). Social capital theory and implications for human resource development. Singapore Management Review, 27(2), 1-24.

Akdere

Conceição

S. C. O.

(2009). An assessment of graduate HRD and adult education programs: A U.S. perspective. New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, 23(4), 38-50.

Akdere

Roberts

(2008). Economics of social capital: Implications for organizational performance. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 10, 802-816.

Atchinson

B. K.

(2005). The role of professional organizations in boosting trust in financial business. The Geneva Papers, 30, 477-484.

Bartlett

K. R.

Horwitz

S. K.

Ipe

Liu

(2005). The perceived influence of industry-sponsored credentials on the recruitment process in the information technology industry: Employer and employee perspectives. Journal of Career and Technical Education, 21(2), 51-65.

Bloom

B. S.

(1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives: Handbook I: The cognitive domain. New York, NY: David McKay.

Bucher

Stelling

(1969). Characteristics of professional organizations. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 10(1), 3-15.

Cooper

Downer

(2012). Stakeholders, strategic planning and critical success factors in professional accounting organizations. Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, 9(4), 82-98.

10.

Cornacchione

Daugherty

J. L.

(2013). Trends in opportunity costs of U.S. postsecondary education: A national HRD and human capital theory analysis. New Horizons in Adult Education & Human Resource Development, 25(2), 62-82.

11.

Doloriert

Sambrook

Stewart

(2012). Power and emotion in doctoral supervision: Implications for HRD. European Journal of Training and Development, 36, 732-750.

12.

DuPraw

M. E.

Axner

(1997). Working on common cross-cultural communication challenges. In McCoy

(Ed.), Toward a more perfect union in an age of diversity (pp. 12-16). Pomfret, CT: Topsfield Foundation.

13.

Egan

T. M.

Upton

M. G.

Lynham

S. A.

(2006). Career development: Load-bearing wall or window dressing? Exploring definitions, theories, and prospects for HRD-related theory building. Human Resource Development Review, 5, 442-477.

14.

Ferriera

Oliveira

E. R.

McLean

G. N.

Brito

Nunes

(2014). Linking HR skills and competences to organizational and HR outcomes through employee engagement: Final report. Alexandria, VA: Society for Human Resource Management.

15.

Flores

L. Y.

Robitschek

Celebi

Andersen

Hoang

(2010). Social cognitive influences on Mexican Americans’ career choices across Holland’s themes. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 76, 198-210.

16.

Gaumnitz

B. R.

Lere

J. C.

(2002). Contents of codes of ethics of professional business organizations in the United States. Journal of Business Ethics, 35(1), 35-49.

17.

Goleman

(2005). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. New York, NY: Bantam Books.

18.

Gray

R. E.

(2005). Developing leadership skills by participating in professional organizations. The Journal of Government Financial Management, 54(4), 46-48.

19.

Harbison

F. H.

Myers

C. A.

(1964). Education, manpower, and economic growth: Strategies of human resource development. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

20.

Harte

Stewart

(2010). Undertaking HRD research in higher education: A longitudinal approach to evaluating undergraduate “enterprise education” modules. Education & Training, 52, 679-693.

21.

Johnson

S. D.

Martinez

R. L.

(2013). Perspectives in HRD—The University Council for Workforce and Human Resource Education: Its history, purpose, and activities. New Horizons in Adult Education & Human Resource Development, 25(4), 42-48.

22.

Jones

Robinson

(1997). Do organizations manage continuing professional development? The Journal of Management Development, 16, 197-207.

23.

Judkins

C. J.

(1942). Trade and professional associations of the United States. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

24.

Krathwohl

D. R.

Bloom

B. S.

Masia

B. B.

(1973). Taxonomy of educational objectives, the classification of educational goals. Handbook II: Affective domain. New York, NY: David McKay.

25.

Kuchinke

K. P.

(2002). Institutional and curricular characteristics of leading graduate HRD programs in the United States. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 13, 127-143.

26.

Leong

F. T. L.

(2001). The role of acculturation in the career adjustment of Asian American workers: A test of Leong and Chou’s (1994) formulations. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 7, 262-273.

27.

Lim

D. H.

Cho

(2015). Graduate HRD programs in South Korea. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 17(2), 196-212.

28.

Lucero-Miller

Newman

J. L.

(1999). Predicting acculturation using career, family, and demographic variables in a sample of Mexican American students. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 27(2), 75-92.

29.

Mahadevan

(2010). Acculturation and career beliefs: Is there a relationship for international university students? College Student Journal, 44, 633-658.

30.

May

G. L.

(2007). Invited reaction: Birds of a feather? HRD and business schools should flock together. Human Resource Development Review, 6, 127-131.

31.

McLagan

(1989). Models for HRD practice. Training and Development Journal, 43(9), 49-59.

32.

McLean

G. N.

(2000). It depends. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 2(3), 39-43.

33.

McLean

G. N.

Lynham

S. A.

Azevedo

R. E.

Lawrence

J. E. S.

Nafukho

(2008). A response to Wang and Swanson’s (2008) article on national HRD and theory development. Human Resource Development Review, 7, 241-258.

34.

Michigan State University Broad College of Business. (2014). Professional organizations: A robust listing of academic or research-oriented professional organizations around the world. Retrieved from https://aib.msu.edu/resources/professionalorgs.asp

35.

Nonaka

(1994). A dynamic theory of organizational knowledge. Organization Science, 5, 14-37.

36.

Osman-Gani

M. A.

Zidan

S. S.

(2001). Cross-cultural implications of planned on-the-job training. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 3, 452-460.

37.

Penner

(1999). Administrative competencies for physician organizations with capitation. Journal of Healthcare Management, 44, 185-196.

38.

Pruetipibultham

McLean

G. N.

(2013). The influence of social networks on the cultural adjustment of Thai expatriates in the Lao PDR and Indonesia. NIDA HROD Journal, 4(2), 11-37.

39.

Rivera

L. M.

Chen

E. C.

Flores

L. Y.

Blumberg

Ponterotto

J. G.

(2007). The effects of perceived barriers, role models, and acculturation on the career self-efficacy and career consideration of Hispanic women. Career Development Quarterly, 56(1), 47-61.

40.

Riveros

A. M. M.

Tsai

T. S. T.

(2011). Career commitment and organizational commitment in for-profit and non-profit sectors. International Journal of Emerging Sciences, 1, 324-340.

41.

Rocco

T. S.

Plakhotnik

M. P.

(2009). A view to our past and future: The development of professional organizations. New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development, 23(1), 3-5.

42.

Rose

R. C.

Naresh

(2006). Get educators to absorb the power of HRD in molding quality education. Performance Improvement, 45(9), 32-48.

43.

Stewart

Lee

Poell

R. F.

(2013). Perspectives in HRD—History, purpose, and activities of the University Forum for Human Resource Development (UFHRD): An update after four years. New Horizons in Adult Education & Human Resource Development, 25(4), 37-41.

44.

Stewart

Mills

Sambrook

(2015). HRD programs in the United Kingdom. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 17(2), 162-179.

45.

Trehan

(2004). Who is not sleeping with whom? What’s not being talked about in HRD? Journal of European Industrial Training, 28(1), 23-38.

46.

Wallace

J. E.

(1995). Organizational and professional commitment in professional and nonprofessional organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40, 228-255.

47.

Wang

Swanson

R. A.

(2008). The idea of national HRD: An analysis based on economic and theory development methodology. Human Resource Development Review, 7, 79-106.

48.

Werner

M. J.

DeSimone

L. R.

(2011). Human resource development (6th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage.

49.

Wiessner

C. A.

Hatcher

Chapman

Storberg-Walker

(2008). Creating new learning at professional conferences: An innovative approach to conference learning, knowledge construction and programme evaluation. Human Resource Development International, 11, 367-383.