Human Resource Development Human resource development was originally conceived as a composite term specifically incorporating three types

of vocational learning activity that would contribute to making individuals more effective at work: (a) training, focusing on immediate changes in job performance; (b) education, geared towards intermediate changes in individual capabilities; and (c) development concerned with long-term improvement in the individual worker (Nadler, 1970). In 1970, Nadler defined HRD as a series of organised activities conducted within a specific time and designed to produce behavioural change (p. 3). In 1980, he defined the scope of HRD as the entire range of educational, training, and development facilities available in an organisation that enhance the learning processes essential to an organisations capacity to change (Nadler, 1980). In response to the changing HRD practice, Nadler offered a revised version of HRD in 1989 as organised learning experiences provided for employees within a specified period of time to bring about the possibility of performance improvement and/or personal growth (Nadler and Nadler, 1989). McLagans (1983: 7) definition of HRD as the integrated use of training and development, career development, and organisation development to improve individual and organisational performance and Swansons (1995: 208) definition of HRD as a process of developing and unleashing human expertise through organisation development and personnel training and development for the purpose of improving performance are perhaps more focused but certainly narrower and more functional in scope. While highlighting the role and relevance of HRD in positively influencing the learning processes of individuals and organisations, Stewart (1996:1) made the following observation: Human resource development encompasses activities and processes which are intended to have impact on organisational and individual learning. The term assumes that organisations can be constructively conceived of as learning entities, and that the learning processes of both organisations and individuals are capable of influence and direction through deliberate and planned interventions. Thus, HRD is constituted by planned interventions in organisational and individual learning processes. HRD is any process or activity that, either initially or over the long term, has the potential to develop adults work-based knowledge, expertise, productivity, and satisfaction, whether for personal or group/team gain, or for the benefit of an organisation, community, nation, or , ultimately, the whole of humanity. New technology, globalisation, drive for quality, cost containment, market volatility, workforce diversity, the importance of knowledge capital, and the speed of change acted as the precursors of HRD in progressive and result-oriented organisations of both developed and developing

economies. These trends posed both challenge and opportunity for organisations to earn and sustain competitive advantage through developing multi-skilled, flexible, and committed workforces. The economic realities of the 1990s and beyond, however, resulted in a closer scrutiny of training and development expenditures. An increasing number of organisations are raising questions concerning the return on these investments. There is a decreasing willingness to spend money on faith and an increasing pressure to justify training and development costs. In this context, it is imperative for those in the field to focus on evaluation of training and development and to adequately and properly demonstrate and communicate to management that training efforts are making worthwhile contributions.