Toward the Use of Human Resource Development for Societal Development: Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities

The Problem. Although current human resource development (HRD) theory does not adequately address the issues and challenges faced by larger contexts, the methods originating from traditional HRD have been increasingly recognized as useful and effective interventions to deal with problems and issues that occur beyond a single organization or group of organizations. The Solution. To address the gap between traditional HRD frameworks and the social reality of complex and large system change projects, this article identifies major issues that encompass typical use of HRD for societal development (SD), including community development, international development, and organizations' social responsiveness, and emphasizes the usefulness of organization development approach for SD. The Stakeholders. Multiple stakeholders, such as HRD professionals in the public sector, HRD students, nongovernmental organizations, policy developers, and nonprofit organizations, all of whom engage in SD in various contexts, can take advantage of these scholarly efforts to broaden the scope and boundaries of HRD.