Enhancing the trustworthiness and credibility of human resource development: Evidence‐based management to the rescue?

• Author: Claire Gubbins,Brian Harney,Lisa van der Werff,Denise M. Rousseau
• Published date: 01 September 2018
• Date: 01 September 2018
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21313

EDITORIAL

Enhancing the trustworthiness and credibility of

human resource development: Evidence-based

management to the rescue?

Much of what is practiced [in Human Resource Development (HRD)] day-to-day is still educated trial

and error at best and 'the fad of the month' at worst. Few organizations or HRD consulting firms con-

duct research to test new approaches. And the academic research that has been conducted in the

past five to ten years has probably still not been translated into practice. Imagine physicians learning

the skill of surgery without understanding anatomy or physiology. (Chalofsky, 2007, p. 440)

HRD scholarship has made huge strides since its inception, evidenced by commentary in the silver anniversary of this

journal (Ellinger, 2014; Russ-Eft, Watkins, Marsick, Jacobs, & McLean, 2014). Recent calls for the further advance-

ment of HRD have variously focused on definitional clarity (Werner, 2014), embracing multiple contexts (Short &

Gray, 2018) while offering prescriptions for more rigorous research (Anderson, 2017; Nimon & Astakhova, 2015).

Yet as the opening quote suggests, HRD has not yet made sufficient inroads in demonstrating ability, competence,

and value (Kahnweiler, 2009). The Achilles' heel of HRD remains the stakeholder perception, of executives, man-

agers, and employees alike, that its costs (e.g., resource, time, and financial investment) may outweigh the benefits

(e.g., learning, behavioral change, bottom-line impact) (Swanson, 1998). Considered reflection and the capability to

explore and assess the evidence for current and new HRD approaches are frequently lacking (Minbaeva, 2018; Wer-

ner, 2014). As a consequence, HRD fads are uncritically put into practice in ways that can destroy, rather than deliver

or demonstrate, HRD's value (Chalofsky, 2007).

It is notable that while numerous professional competencies are expected for HRD, including the likes of instruc-

tion design, learning technologies, and coaching (see Arneson, Rothwell, & Naughton, 2013), HRD professionals sel-

dom display, collect, or assess evidence of such competence. It is no surprise that Russ-Eft et al. (2014, p. 7) recently

called out “HRD ability”as an HRD deficiency, noting that “accountability and evaluation continue to be of concern.”

In this editorial, we make the case for evidence-based HRD (EBHRD) as a means for HRD practitioners to demon-

strate their professional competencies and enhance stakeholder support. EBHRD is a process of decision-making that

is grounded in the best available scientific evidence and business information and informed by critical thinking and

evaluation (Rousseau & Barends, 2011). With this focus, our arguments align with those of the HR professionalbody,

the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD): “future people professionals will need to have the

competency and desire to explore different sources of information to inform their decisions, and to help evidence

decisions for key stakeholders”(2017, p. 32). The essence of our argument is that engaging with EBHRD helps HRD

practitioners enhance their credibility, trustworthiness, and professionalism in the eyes of key stakeholders.

The basis of HRD status, power, and impact stems from a demonstrated competence in informing, influencing,

and managing stakeholder relationships (Tsui, 1990). Here, the track record of HRD is open to doubt. Although the

argument for HRD as a strategic contributor has intuitive appeal (e.g., Swanson, 1993), the absence of an HRD pres-

ence at top management levels or on company boards suggests an empty claim (Claus & Collison, 2005). The influ-

ence of strategic decision-makers is recognized as crucial to effective HRD (Gilley & Coffern, 1994), yet negative

stakeholder perceptions and lack of support undermine HRD effectiveness (Fricker, 1994). The prolonged battle for

DOI: 10.1002/hrdq.21313

Human Resource Development Quarterly. 2018;29:193–202. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/hrdq © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 193