HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (HRD)

 HRD concept was first introduced by Leonard Nadler in 1969 in a conference

in US. “He defined HRD as those learning experience which are organized, for
a specific time, and designed to bring about the possibility of behavioral
change”.

 Human Resource Development (HRD) is the framework for helping employees

develop their personal and organizational skills, knowledge, and abilities.
Human Resource Development includes such opportunities as employee
training, employee career development, performance management and
development, coaching, mentoring, succession planning, key employee
identification, tuition assistance, and organization development.

 According to Leonard Nadler, "Human resource development is a series of

organised activities, conducted within a specialized time and designed to
produce behavioural changes."

 Prof. T.V. Rao, "HRD is a process by which the employees of an organisation

are helped in a continuous and planned way to (i) acquire or sharpen
capabilities required to perform various functions associated with their present
or expected future roles; (ii) develop their general capabilities as individual and
discover and exploit their own inner potential for their own and /or
organisational development purposes; (iii) develop an organisational culture in
which superior-subordinate relationship, team work and collaboration among
sub-units are strong and contribute to the professional wellbeing, motivation
and pride of employees."
 According to M.M. Khan, "Human resource development is the process of
increasing knowledge, capabilities and positive work attitudes of all people
working at all levels in a business undertaking."

 Adam Smith said that, “The capacities of individuals depended on their access
to education.”

FEATURES OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT (HRD)

1. Human resource development is a process in which employees of the

organizations are recognized as its human resource. It believes that human
resource is most valuable asset of the organization.
2. It focus on development of human resources of the organization. It helps the
employees of the organization to develop their general capabilities in
relation to their present jobs and expected future role.
3. It emphasize on the development and best utilization of the capabilities of
individuals in the interest of the employees and organization.
4. It helps is establishing/developing better inter-personal relations. It stresses
on developing relationship based on help, trust and confidence.
5. It promotes team spirit among employees.
6. It tries to develop competencies at the organization level. It stresses on
providing healthy climate for development in the organization.
7. HRD is a system. It has several sub-systems. All these sub-systems are inter-
related and interwoven. It stresses on collaboration among all the sub-
systems.
 8. It aims to develop an organizational culture in which there is good senior-
subordinate relations, motivation, quality and sense of belonging.
9. It tries to develop competence at individual, inter-personal, group and
organizational level to meet organizational goal.
10. It is an inter-disciplinary concept. It is based on the concepts, ideas and
principles of sociology, psychology, economics etc.
11. It form on employee welfare and quality of work life. It tries to
examine/identify employee needs and meeting them to the best possible
extent.
12. It is a continuous and systematic learning process. Development is a
lifelong process, which never ends.

OBJECTIVES OF HRD

1. To prepare the employee to meet the present and changing future job
requirements.
2. To prevent employee uselessness.
3. To develop creative abilities and talents.
4. To prepare employees for higher level jobs.
5. To impart new applicants with basic HRD skills and knowledge.
6. To develop the potentialities of people for the next level job.
7. To promote individual and collective morale, a sense of responsibility, co-
operative attitudes and good relationships.
8. To broaden the minds of senior managers by providing them with
opportunities for an interchange of experiences within and outside.
9. To ensure smooth and efficient working of the organization.
 10.To enhance organizational capabilities. To create a climate that enables
every employee to discover, develop and use his/her capabilities to a fuller
extent in order to further both individual and organizational goals.

BENEFITS/IMPORTANCE OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT

1. HRD (Human Resource Development) makes people more competent. HRD

develops new skill, knowledge and attitude of the people in the concern
organisations.
2. With appropriate HRD programme, people become more committed to their
jobs. People are assessed on the basis of their performance by having a
acceptable performance appraisal system.
3. An environment of trust and respect can be created with the help of human
resource development.
4. Acceptability toward change can be created with the help of HRD.
Employees found themselves better equipped with problem-solving
capabilities.
5. It improves the all-round growth of the employees. HRD also improves team
spirit in the organisation. They become more open in their behaviour. Thus,
new values can be generated.
6. It also helps to create the efficiency culture in the organisation. It leads to
greater organisational effectiveness. Resources are properly utilised and
goals are achieved in a better way.
7. It improves the participation of worker in the organization. This improve the
role of worker and workers feel a sense of pride and achievement while
performing their jobs.
 8. It also helps to collect useful and objective data on employee’s programmes
and policies which further facilitate better human resource planning.

The Scope of Human Resource Development (HRD)

 Human resources management deals with procurement, development,

compensation, maintenance and utilization of human resources. HRD deals with
development of human resources for efficient utilization of these resources in
order to achieve the individual, group and organizational goals.
 Thus the scope of HRM is wider and HRD is part and parcel of HRM. In fact,
HRD helps for the efficient management of human resources. The scope of HRD
invades into all the functions of HRM.

The scope of HRD includes:

1. Recruiting the employees within the dimensions and possibilities for developing
human resources.
2. Selecting those employees having potentialities for development to meet the
present and future organisational needs.
3. Analysing, appraising and developing performance of employees as individuals,
members of a group and organisations with a view to develop them by identifying
the gaps in skills and knowledge.
4. Help the employees to learn from their superiors through performance
consultations, performance counselling and performance interviews.
5. Train all the employees in acquiring new technical skills and knowledge.
6. Develop the employees in managerial and behavioral skills and knowledge.
7. Planning for employees’ career and introducing developmental programmes.
8. Planning for succession and develop the employees.
9. Changing the employees’ behavior through organization development.
10. Employee learning through group dynamics, intra and inter team interaction.
 11. Learning through social and religious interactions and programmes.
12. Learning through job rotation, job enrichment and empowerment.
13. Learning through quality circles and the schemes of workers’ participation in the
management.

The Nature of Human Resource Development

1. Learning:
The essence of HRD is learning. The very purpose of HRD is to make the employees
acquire knowledge, learn newer concepts and develop their skills. The core of HRD is to
enhance the quality of workforce by creating an environment which fosters constant
learning.
2. Career Development:
HRD helps in the career development of individuals by matching employee
characteristics with job requirements. Growth of the organization is achieved through
growth and development of individual employee.
3. Specific Duration:
Any particular HRD programme would have a specific duration. It could be for a short,
medium or long duration.
4. Improves Performance:
The performance of employees is improved as a result of HRD. The training
programmes enhance the capabilities of employees and improve their productivity.
5. Organizational Development:
HRD aims at not just the development of the human resources, but at the progress of
the organization as a whole. Positive changes in work culture, processes and
organizational structure are made.
6. Long-Term Benefits:
HRD is a very future oriented concept. The results of HRD can be experienced only after
some time following its implementation. But it benefits the employee and the
organization for a long time in the future.
7. Continuous Process:
HRD is a continuous process. Different HRD programmes are to be implemented in the
organization according to changes in the work environment. Human behaviour needs to
be monitored regularly to enable them to adjust themselves according to environment
dynamics.

8. Employee Welfare:
The organization attempts to provide all the facilities which are vital for the physical and
mental well-being of the employees to facilitate HRD. Measures like canteen facilities,
crèche, medical insurance, etc. are provided as part of employee welfare.
9. Development of Team Spirit:
HRD creates a healthy work environment which helps to build team spirit and
coordination among various groups and the department. Team spirit is necessary for
fostering loyalty and belongingness among employees.

THE MAIN COMPONENTS OF HRD

1. Individual Development:
It refers to the development of new skills, knowledge and improved behavior that
contribute to his productivity. As a result of this training, his job performance is
improved. Individual development mainly takes place through informal activities
like coaching or mentoring by an experienced senior. Some companies, may,
however provide formal programmes for such training.
2. Career Development:
It is an approach to match employee goals with the requirements of the
organization. The interests, values, abilities and competencies of the individuals
are identified to analyse how their skills can be developed for future jobs. At an
individual level, career development includes career planning and career
awareness. Mentoring, providing career counselling, career development
workshops, human resource planning are the steps the organization takes for career
development.
3. Organizational Development:
Organizational development means an organization wide effort to enhance
organizational effectiveness. It includes making improvements to the
organizational structure, culture, processes, etc. through activities like performance
evaluation, change management, succession planning, process analysis and team
building.
The first step in organizational development is to discover its internal problems
and weaknesses, and then work towards solving them. The organization should try
to become a more functional unit by fostering a close relationship among its
various units.

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE FACTORS THAT AFFECT OR INFLUENCE

HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT HRD:

1. New Organisational Culture:

Development of a new organisational culture is one of the important factors that
influences human resources development. The globalisation of business has triggered a
revolutionary change which has necessitated a strong demand for strong operational
managers requiring greater reinforcement in the human resource system. The
development of human resource has become a great necessity to cope with the vast
technical and technological and cultural changes in the organisational structure.
`
2. New Organisational Forms:
New organisational forms have necessitated the development of human resources.
H.R.D. and H.R.P. (Human resources development and human resources planning)
strategy must be rightly and properly adapted together to business strategies in such
way that the whole organisation can take the shape of a viable global organisation.
  According to V. P. Michael, “New concepts regarding what is work and how to
redistribute tasks, redefine roles, authority relationships and sources of power
must be based on the new models emerging globally. Recruiting, selecting,
developing, rotating and managing human resources must aid such a global
organisation with a new form and perspective”. HRD considers the factor of
organisational form as one of the vital aspects in developing human resources.

3. Congenial Environment:
Another factor that affects HRD is the congenial environment. HRD should create
congenial and healthy work environment so as to motivate the employees to work for
the growth of the organisation as well as for their own benefit. HRD should create good
and favourable working conditions so that the employees can put in best of their efforts,
co-operate with the management wholeheartedly, and work with keen interest in the
organisation.
4. Development of Personality:
Development of personality of individual employees is quite essential if HRD is to
succeed. Therefore the HRD has to locate potentiality of the employees and take
necessary steps for the full development of their personality and potentiality so that the
employees identify their interest with that of their organisation. This can be done by
integrating HRD with appropriate job design and succession plan.
5. Employee Counseling:
Every employee in the organisation should be given proper counseling services about his
activities in the organisation. Counseling services should be related to how he should
grow and what right practices he should adopt to improve himself and his organisation.
The counseling need not be confined to work-related issues.
Marital problems, problems with the children, financial difficulties or general
psychiatric problems or health problems may not be directly related to the job. But the
management should recognize that individuals cannot completely separate their
personal life away from their life on their job.
 Therefore personal problems do affect an employee’s work performance. An
increasingly popular form of counseling involves not only employees who are
 about to retire but also new employees who have just entered the organisation
and also employees who have still a long period of service and who are likely to be
promoted. HRD should therefore take care of all types of employees in general.
6. Manpower Development:
New technical and technological changes are taking place today in the business world,
which is therefore, becoming more and more dynamic and more and more complex, and
which is demanding, on an increasing scale, highly competent human force to handle
the situation.
The responsibility of developing such competent human force to handle efficiently and
successfully such changing and challenging situation lies on HRD. Therefore, HRD has
to design manpower training and development programmes to provide adequate
exposure to executives, technocrats and ordinary work-force of the organisation.
7. Recruitment and Selection:
HRD is responsible to undertake the work of recruitment and selection of employees in
the organisation. It should therefore make careful and wise selection of employees, train
them according to the needs of their jobs, and see that right man is placed in the right
job.
8. Performance Appraisal:
It is also the responsibility of the HRD to take up the periodical appraisal of the work
performance of the employees. For the purpose of maintaining the quality of work and
achieving the pre-determined targets, the employees are required to be monitored
continuously.
 Periodical appraisal of the work- performance will enable the firm to locate the
weak spots and correct the same immediately. Without the periodical appraisal of
the work performance, the quality of work and the efficiency of the workers
cannot be improved and the quality of performance cannot be maintained.

Human Resource Development Process.

1. Assessment
The Assessment in the HRD Framework involves prioritizing the need, understanding
and examining the performance of the employees, job tasks and organizational
environment. Above all, the need to acknowledge the gap between current competencies
and skills needed for the production of a particular task is to be determined.

Assessment is the first step that requires identifying the specific skill-set requirement as
per the job performance. For as a result after understanding the deficiencies, the
prospective employee skill is developed based on measurable knowledge and
performance objectives.
Analyzing or assessing the training need depends upon what the organization expects
from the staff and what it gets. It also discovers to whom should the training is to be
provided, that is whether it be the new employee or the current employee.
 Need Assessment

The organization goals and process of reaching those goals determine through the Need
Assessment. It articulates the gap between current skills in the company and the skill
required for better performance. The difference between employees’s existing skills and
the skills necessary for successful job completion and the situations when the HRD can
be applied.
A need define as either a current deficiency or entirely a new challenge that demand
changes in the organization. Identification of the requirement consists of evaluating the
individual, job tasks, environment and preferences.

 Gap Analysis

The Gap Analysis involves comparing the actual performance with the desired
performance. The foremost step is to assess the organizational performance and that of
the workforce of the company. It has two parts, namely; current situation and desired
situation. The difference between these two is the actual gap analysis that will identify
the needs, purpose, and objectives.

2. Design
It involves designing the HRD program and intervention that includes training and
development methods. After successfully understanding the needs, there comes the
designing of the training program. It involves the training content and the delivery
method.

With a clear objective, the HRD program designed such that it can deliver through
online or offline training sessions. To Sum up following are the process of integrating
HRD in training the employees:

 Define objective–The objective to implement a training session should be

mentioned beforehand. It is related to the goal of the firm and the skills required
to achieve.

 Develop Lesson-plan – The next step involves the development of the lesson
plan. It includes a detailed description of the training course and instructions.

 Develop/Acquire Material – Acquiring or accumulating the training material

is the next step of the HRD program. These materials are related to classroom
training or online training etc.

 Select Trainer/Leader – The selection of the right trainer or leader is

essential to enhance the skills of employees. It could be the immediate boss or a
professional trainer.

 Selecting Methods and Techniques – The training could be delivered using

any method or technique like a lecture, role play, conference or group discussion
or online training technique.

 Schedule the Program/Intervention – The scheduling of the final training

program done after the accumulation of resources. It based upon the
organizational norms.

3. Implementation
The implementation involves the successful delivery of the assessment and design phase
as effective HRD programs or interventions. The plans or response must be
implemented using the most appropriate and reliable methods. The implementation of
HRD program is done by delivering most appropriate training sessions as per the
requirements of the firm and thus creating a productive learning environment for on-
going improvement in the employees. This way, it enables the workforce to perform
efficiently towards company goals and objectives. In addition to the above two, this also
plays an important role in four stages of HRD framework.

 Methods of delivering the training

Once the training needs and goals decided, the implementation of the training program
will begin. The purpose of providing training leads to determining the methods of
imparting effective HRD interventions. The content of the training program is of prime
importance. It is supposed to encourage employee engagement and thus to improve
productivity by making them learn new skills or polishing their knowledge. Following
are the methods of the training program:

 Apprenticeship Training – This is a combination of

classroom training and OJT. It is a structured process to
enhance the skills of an employee with a set of instructions.

 Distance/Internet-Based Training – This is a prevalent

type of training method that doesn’t require the trainer or
trainee to meet at one place. Through video-conferencing,
telephonic training and over the internet, the practice has
done.

 Simulated Training – This method involves the use of

simulator equipment where the employee can feel the actual
environment and work accordingly.
  Computer-Based Training (CBT) – This method leads
to training the employee as per his time availability. CBT can
also provide a progress report from time to time for better
engagement.

4. Evaluation

Evaluation of the program is the final step of the HRD process and training sessions.
The effectiveness of the HRD intervention measured during this phase. It is a significant
and vital activity, so should be performed carefully. The attentive evaluation of the
employee’s Reaction towards the training program leads to gather information about the
effectiveness of the program. The emphasis on measuring Human Resource
Development’s impact, it is a crucial and the essential step to be performed. This is one
of the most stages out of four stages of HRD framework.

How to Evaluate Effectiveness

The effectiveness of the HRD program can be measured by evaluating the skills of the
employee before training, during training and after training sessions. Other than this,
there are few points to be considered for the appropriate evaluation of the HRD
program as follows:

 Select Evaluation Criteria – The evaluation criteria

involves the Reaction of the participants, noticeable changes
in participants attitude, skills and knowledge, the difference
in performance standard of the participant and at the same
time the organizational performance overall.

 Determine Evaluation Design – Designing the

evaluation study is the second and vital step in making an
accurate evaluation of the program. The first method is Time
Series Design method that involves a series of measurements
 made before and after the HRD program. In addition, The
second method is called Controlled Experimentation method
that is the most used and formal method of evaluation.
Above all in this method, a controlled group organized, and
data is collected from training and controlled group both
before and after training, and then the review is done
accordingly.

 Conduct Evaluation of Program or Intervention

– The evaluation of the HRD program is through measuring
three basic categories. They are Reaction of the participants
by understanding their liking or disliking about the session.
Learning of the participants related to skill development and
knowledge after the meeting. Behavior change is also a
noticeable factor. The evaluator should find out how is the
employee’s overall behavior after participating in the
training.

 Interpret Result – This is probably the most awaited

category of evaluation of the program. The final result
evaluate based on the objectives and goals set by the
organization. The evaluator interprets whether the outcome
matches with the desired effect or not. It would depend upon
the behavior of the participant after the training if a
complaint came related to workability after training,
Reaction of subordinates and manager and motivation
towards the work. The evaluator will interpret the result on
the scale of the Reaction, learning, and behavior of the
participant. In addition, if by any chance, it is not matching
with the desired outcome, it probably hasn’t achieved its
desired goals.