Definitions
The art and science of teaching children
What is Pedagogy?
In this role, an HRD professional creates specific learning materials, program curriculums, and training aids.
What is an Instructional Designer?
Before any training is designed, this first practice identifies the gap between actual and desired performance.
What is Analysis (or Needs Assessment)?
This professional oversees the general "people" operations of a facility, including staffing, employee relations, and performance management.
What is a Human Resources Manager?
One of the primary purposes of evaluating HRD practice is to prove this financial concept, which compares the monetary benefit of the program to its cost.
What is Return on Investment (ROI)?
Organized learning, performance, and change interventions designed to improve an organization’s performance capacity, capability, and competitive readiness
What is Human Resource Development (HRD)?
This role involves delivering training directly to employees and facilitating group discussions to ensure learning occurs.
What is a Learning Agent (or Instructor/Facilitator)?
This practice involves the systematic process of planning, structuring, and sequencing the learning content.
What is Instructional Design?
This specialist role focuses specifically on attracting and hiring new talent to fill open positions within the organization.
What is a Recruiter (or Talent Acquisition Specialist)?
Evaluation helps demonstrate this quality, showing stakeholders that the HRD department is responsible and delivering on its promises.
What is Accountability?
This component of HRD focuses on the development of new knowledge and skills aimed at improving an employee's performance in their current job.
What is Individual Development?
This analytic role focuses less on training and more on analyzing systems to remove barriers that stop employees from performing well.
What is a Performance Engineer?
Covered in Chapter 11, this practice refers to the actual mental process by which learners internalize new knowledge or skills.
What is Learning Acquisition?
This analytical role manages the organization's pay structures to ensure they are competitive and equitable.
What is a Compensation Analyst?
This evaluation approach is developmental in nature, used as a basis for constructively modifying an initiative and making recommendations for future decisions.
What is Formative?
Distinct from training, this area focuses on long-term individual growth and the future employment needs of the organization.
What is Career Development?
This HRD role can be internal or external and involves advising management on how to solve performance problems using HRD solutions.
What is an HRD Consultant?
This critical practice ensures that the knowledge and skills learned in training are actually applied back on the job.
What is Learning Transfer?
This manager specifically oversees non-wage compensation, such as health insurance, retirement plans (401k), and leave policies.
What is a Manager of Benefits (or Benefits Manager)?
Effective evaluation requires establishing these mechanisms to gather continuous input from employees and managers about the training's impact.
What are Feedback Loops?
This form of HRD focuses on system-wide changes to improve the organization's culture, structure, and processes rather than just individual skills.
What is Organizational Development (OD)?
This strategic role involves leading the entire HRD function, securing resources, and aligning HRD with business strategy.
What is an HRD Leader?
This final practice in the cycle determines the effectiveness and worth of an HRD program.
What is Evaluation?
This specialized role focuses on the digital side of HRD, managing the software and systems used for employee training and e-learning.
What is a Learning Technologies Specialist?
To truly evaluate HRD practice, the results of training must be measured against these high-level targets set by the company.
What are Organizational Goals (or Strategic Objectives)?