Human resources development refers to an organization’s focus on improving the knowledge, ability, skills, and other talents of their employees. It is the integrated use of training, organization, and career development efforts to improve individual, group, and organizational effectiveness.
The active resource of an organization is the human resource. Other resources remain inactive unless there are competent people to utilize the available resources for the production of goods and services.
Function of Human Resource Development
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 that are not necessarily taught in the classroom.
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).
Human Resource 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.
Purpose of HRD
Human resources development can be viewed, in some ways, in the same manner, that a coach views his athletic team. While a coach may recruit players who already have some skill and ability, the point of continued practice is to strengthen those skills and abilities and make even better athletes.
HR development has the same goal: to make better employees. The purpose of HR development is to provide the ‘coaching’ needed to strengthen and grow the knowledge, skills, and abilities that an employee already has. The goal of development and training is to make employees even better at what they do.
Nature of HRD
- HRD is a continuous process
- HRD concerned with behavioral knowledge.
- HRD is a well-integrated system
- HRD provides a better quality of life.
- HRD focuses on the all-round development of human resources.
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