A History of the Academy of Human Resource Development

Why a History of AHRD Now?

In the complexity of applied fields of practice, emerging academic disciplines struggle between their missions to develop a body of knowledge and to prepare new practitioners for that field. The AHRD was created 23 years ago to help influence the research and academic missions of HRD. This issue, written as the organization completes its first quarter century, captures some of that history for future generations of HRD scholars and looks at where this grounding intimates we may be heading as a field of study and practice.

In a field that has deep roots but a brief history as a field of practice, there has been little call for historical research. Indeed, practitioners often question the value of historical research for informing practice. Stearns (1998) argued that the tools of historians are the capacity to marshal evidence to support their story of what happened, to assess that evidence critically and analyze interpretations—not to remove bias for this is impossible—but rather to surface and clarify inherent biases, and finally to look for patterns that offer a sense of continuities and what has changed over time.

With the loss of some of those who participated in the founding of AHRD (Fred Otte, Georgia State University; and Oscar Mink, The University of Texas at Austin), the retirement of many of the loss of early scholars (e.g., Wayne Pace, founding president; Richard Swanson, third president; Ed Holton, fourth president; Gary N. McLean, fifth president; and Gene Roth, seventh president), and impending retirements of others, it seemed important to capture the eye-witness accounts of those who helped found and build the Academy. We sought a descriptive history from those who were present. While it might be argued that all who were there would have differing accounts of the early days of the AHRD, the voices we have gathered together in this issue are those of many of the former presidents and leaders and many of the founding members of the AHRD. McCulloch and Watts (2003) noted that at the heart of historical narrative is the problem of voice—From whose voice are we hearing this story? What is the bias of the historian himself or herself?

As we share our histories (and herstories), we do so with the understanding that these narratives are one part of the story—as faithfully told as each author can with the evidence at hand. Witherall and Noddings (1991) wrote,

Stories are powerful research tools. They provide us with a picture of real people in real situations, struggling with real problems . . . They invite us to speculate on what might be changed and with what effect. And, of course, they remind us of our persistent fallibility. (p. 280)

So in these pages, readers will view the problems that gave impetus to create this association—as well as the fallibility and controversies that create an ongoing need to improve the Academy to better serve its members.

Historical scholars select what they pay attention to, and in so doing shape the narrative. Weick, Sutcliffe, and Obstfeld (2005) described this process as sensemaking. They described distinguishing features of sensemaking:

its genesis in disruptive ambiguity, its beginnings in acts of noticing and bracketing, its mixture of retrospect and prospect, its reliance on presumptions to guide action, its embedding in interdependence, and its culmination in articulation that shades into acting thinkingly. Answers to the question “what’s the story?” emerge from retrospect, connections with past experience, and dialogue among people who act on behalf of larger social units. Answers to the question “now what?” emerge from presumptions about the future, articulation concurrent with action, and projects that become increasingly clear as they unfold. (Weick et al., 2005, p. 413)

In this issue, Torraco’s brief look at the history of the fields of practice in AHRD sets the stage for the development of an academic focus on HRD and connects AHRD’s history to past experience. Pace’s firsthand account of his role in chartering AHRD begins AHRD’s story, and Ruona’s envisioning of future roles for AHRD intimates “now what?”

Tsoukas (1989) argued the validity of idiographic research approaches like case study and historical research by noting the difference between scientific and detective knowledge:

scientists are not content with establishing patterns of events between “crimes,” but they want to know what has produced such events. In other words, they want to know what are the structures, the generative mechanisms and the contingent factors responsible for the observed patterns. (p. 556)

Thus, the reader of this special issue should expect to find in these pages the generative mechanisms that led to the creation of the AHRD, what contingencies had to be addressed, and ultimately what structures and processes were created.

We stand on the shoulders of those who have come before us. Understanding our history can help future scholars see that we have a long tradition that is both ennobling in its purposes and pragmatic, adapting to the situations in which these programs found themselves. Our multiple disciplinary homes influence our frames of reference, as do the professional fields from which we have come. Being able to see across these differences and, at the same time, see how they have shaped the field brings greater coherence to our discipline.

From humble beginnings, this organization has grown significantly. Along the way, journals have been developed, research and theory has evolved, and academic programs have thrived. Earlier, Russ-Eft, Short, and Jacobs (2014) gave key details about the conferences, presidents, and association guidelines to illustrate the work of the Academy over the years. This issue is intended to put flesh on that broad outline—to capture what we learned from scholars and conferences, and advancing a knowledge base as found in our journals and academic programs.

Articles in This Issue

The authors in this issue trace these developments. In the second article of this issue, “Early History of the Fields of Practice of Training and Development and Organization Development,” Rich Torraco traces the early history of HRD and begins with the influence of World War II on work-related education and training in the United States. It traces the origins of HRD up to, but not including, the founding of the AHRD in 1993. He explores the historical development of HRD as a confluence of thinking from several disciplines, and especially from the emergence of training and development and organization development as fields of practice.

The next article, “Founding the Academy of Human Resource Development,” by Wayne Pace, founding president of the Academy, shares his story of the birth of the Academy. Pace shares the developments that preceded creating the Academy and drivers for doing so, as well as the steps that had to be taken to define an organization with this role and scope. He interlaces this with his personal history to illustrate the way in which his experiences led him to undertake this giant step for the field.

The article, “Development of Academic Programs in Human Resource Development in the United States,” frames the other dominant activity of most of the members of AHRD—teaching in or attending academic programs in HRD. In this article, Karen E. Watkins and Victoria J. Marsick offer a history of academic programs in HRD, illustrating how the disciplinary origins of the academic program strongly influence the nature of the HRD curriculum. At the same time, the influence of practice on the curriculum is shown in the pervasive influence of McLagan’s (1989) competency model on the core courses of academic programs. The early work of the AHRD Program Excellence Network [PEN] to clarify academic program standards is also presented (AHRD, 2008).

Those who have most advanced the scholarship of HRD have been recognized by receiving the AHRD Outstanding Scholar Award. Darren C. Short explores the contributions of the first seven winners of the AHRD Outstanding Scholar Award in his article, “HRD Scholars Who Laid the Foundations of HRD.” The journey and legacy of these scholars in terms of key publications and influence on subsequent research is offered.

A major contributor to an evolving body of unique knowledge in this field is through the academic journals that focus on HRD. Four of those journals were developed by Academy members and are offered as part of membership in the Academy. These journals, perhaps more than any other outcome of the formation of the Academy, have advanced scholarship in HRD. Andrea D. Ellinger and colleagues show this in their article, “Developing a Tradition of Scholarship: The Emergence and Evolution of the AHRD-Sponsored Journals.”

In “Controversies That Shaped the Field of Human Resource Development: Town Hall Forums of the Academy of Human Resource Development,” Darlene F. Russ-Eft discusses the controversies that have shaped the field of HRD by considering the various Town Hall Forums held at the annual meetings of AHRD. These controversies have included debates on learning versus performance; collegiality versus critique; research versus practice; the issue of diversity and inclusion from performativity, critical, and radical perspectives; the role of HRD in globalization; the role of HRD in corporate social responsibility; the role of the scholar practitioner; and many others. The Town Hall Forums examined the role of ethical guidelines as one marker of a profession and the development of academic standards to guide academic programs. In some cases, the controversy may no longer be of concern or may have been resolved. In other cases, the controversy may still be engaging debate. Thus, the current status of the controversy is described as well as the practical implications emerging from that controversy.

As the Academy grew, it became increasingly international—and intentionally so. Members sought connections with HRD academics throughout the world. How this grew and the role of professional associations in that evolution are described by Gary N. McLean and Monica M. Lee in “AHRD’s Globalization.”

This issue would be less than complete if it did not explore what we believe the future may hold for this academic field. Wendy E. A. Ruona, incoming president of AHRD, in “Evolving Human Resource Development,” reviews the evolution of the philosophical debates that have both separated and unified the academic field over time. Scholars of HRD have labored during the past 20 years to develop and establish a clear identity for the field. A look at the shifts occurring in HRD practice permits Ruona to offer a glimpse of potential future identities for HRD and the implications these identities may have for practice and knowledge building.

The issue concludes with an article by Gary N. McLean that synthesizes across each of the other articles to explore common and contrasting perspectives that might suggest a continuity or a discontinuity to the future. Dr. McLean offers his personal reflections on the value of the AHRD both personally and professionally across his career in “Personal Reflections: The Value of a History of the Academy, Personally and Professionally.”

Current Status of AHRD

As this issue is built around the co-emergence of AHRD and the academic field of study of HRD, it may be helpful to provide a description of the Academy. In the section that follows, the current state of this organization, its mission, and activities are described.

AHRD is an individual membership association. The AHRD website states,

Founded in 1993, AHRD is a global organization made up of, governed by, and created for the Human Resource Development (HRD) scholarly community of academics and reflective practitioners. The Academy was formed to encourage systematic study of human resource development theories, processes, and practices; to disseminate information about HRD; to encourage the application of HRD research findings; and to provide opportunities for social interaction among individuals with scholarly and professional interests in HRD from multiple disciplines and from across the globe. (AHRD, n.d.)

In 1993, the AHRD had a board consisting of its president, Wayne Pace; president-elect, Karen E. Watkins; and members, Victoria J. Marsick, Nancy Dixon, Richard Swanson, Fred Otte, James Kirk, Verna Willis, Teresa Palmer, and Ronald Jacobs. Staff were a half-time director, Dr. Tom Shindell, and staff member, Tanya DaMommio, who operated the Academy out of a small office in Austin, Texas. The budget for AHRD was almost nonexistent—with membership dues at US$72 per person and only a little over 50 members. Before the conference in 2016, the Academy Board was led by president, Ronald Jacobs; president-elect, Wendy E. A. Ruona; past-president, Darren C. Short; and nine board members, Jeff Allen, Ross Azevedo, Khalil Dirani, Julie Gedro, Rajashi Ghosh, Robin Grenier, Holly Hutchins, Jessica Li, and Seung Won Yoon. Staff support is provided by Ewald and Associates with Kathie Pugaczewski serving as executive director. The Academy now has a foundation and numerous special interest groups. The 2015 president’s report (Jacobs, 2015) reported net income from membership operations for the year of US$34,311.20 and total AHRD assets (retained earnings) of US$242,625.27 at the end of the financial year. Membership is 10 times that of the early beginnings, at 509 in 2015, though this was the lowest since 2010 when membership reached 723 members.

The website (AHRD.org) gives the mission of the organization as follows:

To develop a community of interest recognized as a global human resource development center of excellence that promotes ethical research and practice.

To influence and encourage the creation and systematic study of theories, processes, and techniques that advance human resource development.

To foster research-practice linkages.

To disseminate knowledge of human resource development theories, processes, and techniques.

To encourage the incorporation of research results into HRD degree and professional development programs.

To provide fellowship for individuals with scholarly and professional interests in human resource development. (http://www.ahrd.org/?about_ahrd_2)

The activities of the academy include a national conference as well as support of four journals:

The Academy offers a newsletter, the AHRD Digest, to members, and the website offers webcasts on key topics in HRD and an archive of conference proceedings dating back to the second conference in 1995. The Academy Awards include five categories of awards—awards for excellence in research, scholarship, publication, scholarly practice, and service. The academy affiliates with two additional conferences—the AHRD International Research Conference in Asia and the Middle East and North Africa region [MENA] and the University Forum for HRD. Finally, the Academy offers members Standards on Ethics and Integrity as well as Standards for HRD Graduate Program Excellence.

Conclusion

The process of the evolution of AHRD maps well with the process of professionalization. Abbott (1991) noted that professionalization generally follows a series of events from control of work, to the development of schools and a knowledge base, to the creation of a professional association. He described this process as a form of diffusion of an innovation. These steps parallel the birth of AHRD. While we do not control work or access to the field of practice, academic credentials in HRD increasingly replace other forms of certification that might influence access to the profession. The development of academic programs in HRD created a means to certify and credential practitioners and at the same time a means to develop and disseminate a knowledge base to students. Forming a professional association, AHRD, continued this natural progression in the process of professionalization. An especially important early step in professionalization by AHRD was the development of common ethics and standards to bring coherence across programs. The structures in AHRD—conferences, journals, awards, the PEN—extend the capacity of academic programs and the field of practice to disseminate more rigorous knowledge—now peer critiqued, disseminated globally, recognized in awards, and selected for inclusion in academic courses.

Yet, we are a field that is not at rest—nor resting on its laurels. Earlier, Schön (1987) noted that professional activity is most often problem setting in the face of uncertainty, and technical rationality is insufficient to deal with these problems. Instead, Schön calls for reflection in action, a capacity to adapt, to be researchers on our own practice for the purpose of improving it. We hope this issue will be a form of research on where we have been to shed light on where we most need to go in an uncertain future, a reflection in the midst of continuing action and evolution. We also hope you will reflect on what a difference to this discipline the Academy has made. Where would scholarship and our academic programs be at this time without the last quarter century of focus on leading the profession through research?