ABSTRACT
The main purpose of the chapter is to explore possible reasons why human resource development in small organisations may have become a neglected field of study. It proposes a theoretical model to explain this current context, and draws upon case-study research to support and illustrate the validity of the model. The main argument advanced is that the mistaken application of ‘large-organisation logic’ to HRD in small organisations is fundamental to the problem of its neglect as a field of study. The explanatory model introduced in the chapter aims specifically to show how the application of large-organisation logic in small organisations causes barriers at various stages of HRD research.
