HRD in the Modern Era

Abstract

One of the challenges of evaluating the modern era of HRD is that it is still ongoing. History, like high school relationships, is usually best judged with the perspective of longitudinal distance. The challenge is made all the more difficult when considering modern HRD in a similar manner to other eras contained in this text. While the pattern of interplay between philosophy, theory, and practice is more or less evident in previous eras, our own biases tend to interfere with our ability to “step out” of ourselves and evaluate our own philosophical assumptions. Because, that is what a consideration of the modern era requires. By reading this book you may have some role in the modern expression of HRD as a discipline, be it as a practitioner or theorist. If Gosney’s model of modern era theory and practice generation in HRD, proposed in chapter 1, holds true, then we are bound to our own current historical context.