ABSTRACT
One of the aims of this book is to begin to outline a critical perspective on human resource development (HRD). HRD is used here as a general term that implies attempts at organizing learning and change. HRD is linked to other areas of scholarship including management and organizational learning, management education, organization development, intervention and consulting. These interconnected areas of theory and practice are brought together under the theme of strategic learning, which indicates that the emphasis of the book is more on the relationship between learning and organizing than it is on the development of individuals. The book highlights the role that HRD can play in the organization of learning and change. A central part of my argument is that there has been an over-emphasis on individuals’ learning in organizations. In practice, this has meant that staff responsible for learning and change in organizations have put too much effort into the development of individuals (for example through individual performance appraisal linked to programmes of skill and knowledge development) and not enough into understanding and engaging with the organizational dynamics that limit and shape individuals’ opportunities and abilities to learn and change. These dynamics are created as a result of the interaction between emotion and politics in organizations and they have an impact on both learning and organizing.
