Shifting the Boundaries of Employment and Work

There has been limited critical review and development of Human Resource Development (HRD) theory in the past two decades. It is change, and especially the rate at which change occurs, that largely influences the HRD hybrid that any organisation adopts. This paper will systematically consider the professional discussions in a number of countries to trace HRD through four key phases: the ‘duet’, the ‘trio’, the ‘quartet’ and concluding with the ‘orchestra’. In the past, Human Resource Development (HRD) was often polarized as focusing primarily on either performance or learning – a ‘duet’. The relationship between HRD and change was then developed once the integral nature of work to both performance and learning was recognised – a ‘trio’. A significant addition to the exploration of learning at work then came about when authors tackled the issue of quality – a ‘quartet’ of learning, performance, work and quality. However, the future of HRD now lies squarely in the need for the profession to embrace fully the inextricably interrelated paradigms of movement (where people have developed from); change (and especially the rate of change); dynamism (provided from leadership); harmony and unity (resulting from cohesive partnerships) – the ‘orchestra’.