Human Resource Development Quarterly and human resource development: Past, present, and future

• Author: Kim Nimon,Valerie Anderson,Jon M. Werner
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21340
• Date: 01 March 2019
• Published date: 01 March 2019

EDITORIAL

Human Resource Development Quarterly and human

resource development: Past, present, and future

Three questions that we as humans would do well to address in our lifetimes are:

•Where did we come from?

•What have we done with what we've been given?

•Where are we going?

In this finaleditorial by the Co-Editorsof Human Resource DevelopmentQuarterly, we address these threequestions

in terms of this journal,and its role in the human resource development(HRD) field over the past three decades. Thirty

years is a meaningful number. In committed human relationships, thirty-year anniversaries are variously referred to as

“green”or “pearl”or even “diamond”anniversaries. As we approachthe 30th year since the journalcommenced publish-

ing empiricalresearch articles, it is fittingto consider our role as Co-Editors,the “state”of the journal wehave been pri-

vileged to serve,and to conclude our final editorial by offeringsome thoughts about its “probablefuture.”

Scholars of HRD are well aware that the verb to “develop”connotes an ongoing and continuous process, a desti-

nation never quite attained, a hope for growth in a net positive direction. This process of development is simulta-

neously personal and collective. As we have prepared this editorial we have reflected that, in relation to our role as

Co-Editors, we have benefited from a wealth of learning opportunities presented by working with associate editors,

authors, reviewers, and readers of the articles that have been published during our tenure. We sincerely hope that

our approach to our editorial role has also contributed to the development trajectory of those with whom we have

come into contact. In the remainder of this editorial, we first reflect on and celebrate 30 years of Human Resource

Development Quarterly (HRDQ),we then consider its current position, and finally discuss some of the challenges and

opportunities that our successors will likely address.

1|PAST: LEARNING FROM OUR HISTORY

HRDQ is the first academic journal affiliated with the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD). The first

issue of HRDQ appeared in Spring, 1990 and its first editor was Richard Swanson. At that time, the maximum article

length for peer-reviewed articles was 12 pages. The first issue included a feature article on theory building in HRD

by Victoria Marsick, a response by David Passmore, four peer-reviewed articles, two forum articles, and three book

reviews. The journal's contributors and readers were drawn mostly from the research committee of the American

Society for Training and Development (now the Association for Talent Development), and what was called the Pro-

fessor's Network, with support as well from the University Council for Research on HRD. The AHRD was chartered

in May, 1993—3 years after the founding of HRDQ (for a detailed history, see Swanson & Holton, 2009).

The current editorial team is the eighth in the history of the journal. Table 1 lists the HRDQ editors and associate

editors since 1990. Throughout our tenure, we have been conscious that we “stand on the shoulders of giants;”those

who toiled before us and acted as role models as editors and associate editors of this journal. Andrea Ellinger (2014)

DOI: 10.1002/hrdq.21340

© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Human Resource Development Quarterly. 2019;30:9–15. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/hrdq 9