HRD concept was first introduced by Leonard Nadler in 1969 in a conference in the US. He defined HRD as those learning experiences which are organized, for a specific time, and designed to bring about the possibility of behavioral change. Human Resource Development (HRD) is a framework for helping employees to 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. Human Resource Development can be formal such as in classroom training, a college course, or an organizational planned change effort. Or, Human Resource Development can be informal as in employee coaching by a manager. Healthy organizations believe in Human Resource Development and cover all of these bases.
If one employee explains specific processes or functions to another and helps to develop the knowledge of the second employee, human resource development is occurring. Similarly to how a company would upgrade their technical resources, such as computer software or hardware to make their computers operate more effectively, human resource development improves the 'human resources's the employees--so that they can be more effective in their roles. The function of human resource development is to improve performance and ability. While employees are often expected to know a certain amount about their jobs or have a specific degree or level of education upon hire, much of what an employee learns about their job is developed over the course of doing the job. This development includes specific organizational knowledge or job-specific duties. The areas in which HR maintains control can enhance employees’ perception of HR throughout the workforce when they believe HR considers employees to be its internal customers and renders services with that in mind
Regardless of the form the development takes, it functions as a means to improve the overall performance and ability of employees in the jobs they are doing and in future positions. Human resource development can function to improve the performance or individual abilities in an area in which an employee is weak (such as management skills or accounting practices). It can also function to teach an employee about an area in which the employee has had no prior experience, such as when transitioning from one role into a different role (i.e., cross-training). HR development may also function to help an organization conform to government regulations or guidelines by training employees on relevant laws or regulations for which they are responsible. It may also take the form of professional development by educating in specific areas or fields. The Professional in Human Resources certification, Project Management Professional certification, and Six Sigma Black Belt are examples of courses and certifications designed to train and develop professionals in these specific fields.
The Association for Talent Development, (also now known as 'TD'), reported that, in 2013, organizations spent on an average of roughly $1200 per employee on training and development and equating to 31.5 hours of training per year (www.td.org). While the cost, time, and methods of training and development change according to industry and company size, it is clear that development of employees is important to many organizations. Even an organization that has reached its limit of growth needs to adapt to the changing environment. No organization is immune to the need for processes that help to acquire and increase its capabilities for stability and renewal. Samsung taking its human resource so seriously is reflected in its attrition rate of five to six per cent among its worldwide staff roll of over two lakh. Samsung follows a simple business philosophy. It devotes their human talent and technology to create superior products and services to help contribute to a better global society. HR in Hindustan Unilever Limited is about HR with impact.HR supports and develops Unilever’s most important asset – its people – by enabling them to deliver outstanding business performance. Its ambitious growth plan allows HR professionals to play a lead role in helping to attract, develop and retain the right talent, develop leaders and future leaders, create a performance culture which respects our values and furthers diversity within the organization making it Bloomberg Dream Employer of the Year in 2012 and 2013.
LG Electronics utilizes a variety of recruiting channels to secure top-quality global talent. Once employed, they are given many opportunities throughout their careers to make use of lifelong education resources and develop into global business leaders. In order to help employees achieve both individual and organizational growth, it operates the Job Training Program as part of the Company’s employee training system. Employees are required to establish their own Career Development Program (CDP), which is followed up by the one-on-one caring system, and complete training programs accordingly. Also, it has established the Business Function College for each of its 14 business functions and offers more than 800 on and offline courses. IKEA’s innovative human resource management practice has helped build a strong and nurturing culture that promotes diversity and creativity. In an industry characterized by high turnover, their employee friendly policy has made IKEA a preferred employer in the retail sector. In many countries, IKEA is the “Employer of Choice” and globally IKEA is listed as one of the top 50 most attractive employers in 2010. IKEA has the distinction of being in FORTUNE’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list for three consecutive years.
HRD is needed by any organization that wants to be dynamic and growth-oriented or to succeed in a fast-changing environment. Organizations can become dynamic and grow only through the efforts and competencies of their human resources. Personnel policies can keep the morale and motivation of employees high, but these efforts are not enough to make the organization dynamic and take it in new directions. Employee capabilities must continuously be acquired, sharpened, and used. One of the most significant ways that HR can strategically contribute to an organization and its ability to deliver on its mission is through organizational development. The most impactful and successful organizations are deliberate about how they are organized, how their work is carried out and how they use and develop their talent to achieve effectiveness. The most successful HR leaders also deliberate about driving forward organizational effectiveness for the benefit of the staff, leadership, and the community. Companies that care about the success of their employees and want to improve company performance recognize this is done by the skills of employees and will be willing to spend time and money on the growth and development of their employees.