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A unifying definition for the human resource development profession
Author(s) -
Chalofsky Neal
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
human resource development quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.756
H-Index - 65
eISSN - 1532-1096
pISSN - 1044-8004
DOI - 10.1002/hrdq.3920030208
Subject(s) - field (mathematics) , identity (music) , engineering ethics , set (abstract data type) , resource (disambiguation) , epistemology , human resources , sociology , focus (optics) , computer science , political science , philosophy , law , engineering , mathematics , computer network , physics , optics , pure mathematics , programming language , aesthetics
The human resource development field has long been struggling to develop an identity as a profession, especially in terms of its applied and interdisciplinary nature. One of the more debated issues in the field has been the need for a unifying definition that would not only provide a focus for the development of the profession but would also set limits on the boundaries of the field. This article presents a justification for a unifying definition, a history of the existing definitions of HRD, and several common themes or patterns found in these definitions and other literature in the field. The author proposes a unifying definition that would provide a vision for the profession and identifies several “next steps” that the field should consider in its quest for professional recognition and growth.