Reflections on ADLT 620--HRD Overview

This class was a very nice balance of theory and practice and because of that, I was engaged almost all of the time. I was particularly “plugged in” to the learning experiences when we read about the founding theorists of HRD and OD—Taylor, Lewin, McGregor, Emory and Trist, Weisbord. My propensity is more towards theory and less towards practice, so as you can imagine, I preferred Weisbord’s stories and text over Gilley’s! Weisbord’s feature-like story telling of the evolution of HRD, and the people whose ideas helped grow the field to its current state of being, intrigued me and captured my imagination.

It would be no surprise, then, that the times I might have been less engaged were during the Gilley readings and class discussions. I had a revelation the other night, during and after class, in which I recognized in myself a resistance to Gilley and his lists, his emphasis on the practical application of HRD theory and tenets. I realized that I resisted engaging during our class discussions that focused on practice, and in that same moment, recognized this as weaknesses in myself. Something Robin said prior to the beginning of class reminded me that practical application, the tools, are sometimes the most important things to remember we have in our toolboxes. During a casual discussion about a recent work event that I had facilitated, she reminded me that it’s important to involve the learners in sharing their goals and expectations prior to learning events—something I had learned long ago in an earlier class (Instructional Strategies perhaps?). The notion was so practical and simple, yet something I had overlooked in my planning! In that moment, the importance of the steps, the tools, the practice gripped me. So my strengths and proclivities live on, but I am awakened to the fact that I must attend equally to things that may not naturally interest me but that will help me grow, improve and be my best in whatever HRD/OD roles I play now and future.

Another time I felt most engaged was during the interview assignment. The professional I interviewed was enthusiastic, savvy, and intelligent, and as a graduate of the Adult Learning program at VCU, spoke our language. He reminded me of how important relationships are as HRD professionals, we who must get things done through others with no authority to make it so. He also taught me a lesson I’ve been loathe to learn—that technology, particularly social networking media, is critical to the future of our profession and in learning at work. I have a new goal, not yet fully formulated, to learn and engage in these social learning technology tools so that my professional capacities, my relevancy and credibility, can be maximized.

Because of my experience during the interview process and the learning I gained, I consider this my best work in the course. I judge “best work” by my take-aways—not those things that confirm my notions but those that dispel them, that cause me to embrace something I had previously ignored or perhaps shunned. Ahh, then I feel like I’ve truly grown because I must let go of something I hold dear, as truth, a value, a part of my identity. I value learning by how much my paradigms can be expanded. It is not an “either-or” proposition but rather an “and”. And the more I have expanded my paradigms, the more I learn to differentiate, to apply different types of ideas of approaches to certain scenarios. Integration and differentiation play a key role in how I judge my learning.

Perhaps this is my biggest learning of all and what I need to look to gain in the future. Mezirow talks about transformational learning and shifting paradigms, allowing new knowledge that challenges old beliefs and values to enter and cause one to evaluate that which she previously held dear. In that process, the old does not need to be discarded—it has its place when the situation calls for it. The new thinking that causes paradigms to expand provides one with more concepts and tools to apply when called for. My paradigms have been expanded this summer—I have added more in-depth understanding of theory to my tool box, as well as practices that will help me apply those theories. I need to pay more attention to my weaknesses in order to become a stronger practitioner of HRD—and to that end, seek opportunities to practice, succeed, make mistakes and get feedback from those with whom I work. That is my goal moving forward.

Almost an afterthought—as I look back on what I’ve written I have neglected to identify the fact that I have expanded my notion of what HRD is! I started the semester with no clue how to define HRD and now I could craft something of my own that I hope would capture most of what we’ve learned this semester. In the beginning, I could not tell you what are great differences between HRM and HRD. Now, the thought that the two could be synonymous or confused is horrifying to me! The role of an HRD professional, the field of HRD itself, is so broad and complex. I would define it, though, as an organizational system that interconnects the growth, development, wellbeing and performance of whole individuals with the culture, strategic direction, and business goals of the organization, both current and future. I would characterize HRD as a complex system of functions and activities that supports the whole individual and the whole organization. The bottom line is achievement of organizational health in a very holistic way—which includes fiscal health, people wellbeing, business vitality, and cultural functionality or health. The field is so complex because it involves understanding many things—processes, knowledge, change, growth, learning, etc.—on an individual level, an organizational level and a systems level beyond the organization. Ultimately, HRD needs to benefit an organization. It is not enough to be content within itself—and to this end HRD must always demonstrate its contributions and relevancy in a very bottom line way.