The strategic value and transaction effectiveness of HRD: A study of internal customer perspectives

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Dr. Meera Alagaraja

Within the context of Lean strategy and implementation, Dr. Meera Alagaraja’s recent study on HRD and HRM perspectives on organizational performance investigated the linkage between key internal stakeholder perceptions and human resource development’s (HRD) value and effectiveness. Dr. Alagaraja found that HRD’s strategic capacity within organizations is enhanced through communication of role expectations by internal stakeholders and effective performance of transactional activities by HRD professionals, such involvement in Lean strategy formation. Three themes emerged from her study:

Role and Responsibilities of HRD:  HRD leaders must manage perceptions of HRD and communicate its’ value to internal stakeholders so that stakeholder expectations align with HRD’s strategic capability.  The HRD function may become overburdened with transactional activities that divert focus from strategic initiatives.  However, effectiveness in transactional areas can enhance HRD’s reputation within the organization and increase HRD capacity to contribute to organizational strategy.

HRD Involvement in Lean Strategy:  HRD should be regularly and consistently involved in all phases of the Lean process, from early strategy formulation and onward to completion, to maximize HRD’s contribution to the effectiveness of the change process and reduce potential challenges along the way.

Internal Perspectives of HRD:  HRD professionals must understand that even when they have a seat at the table that organizational stakeholders may have a limited understanding of what HR does, where HR is needed or how HR can deliver value to the organization. This is especially problematic when managers hold competing understandings of the role of HRD in the organization. The following visual explains the difference in perspectives and expectations of different stakeholders and HR managers.

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Dr. Meera Alagaraja is an Assistant Professor of Organizational Leadership and Learning at UofL.  Her paper “The strategic value and transaction effectiveness of HRD: A qualitative study of internal customer perspectives,” appeared in the European Journal of Training and Development.  Access to the article is available by clicking here.

Organizational Leadership and Learning at the University of Louisville offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees to foster leadership, learning, and performance.  Learn more about our in-person and online options by visiting our Degrees Page.

This article was written by Christine Wiggins-Romesburg, SPHR, Graduate Research Assistant and Doctoral Student in Organizational Leadership and Learning.

The Five-Box Model: A Coaching Tool for Change

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Dr. Ann Herd

When people seek coaching, it is often to bring about a result they have long desired but, for a variety of reasons, not been able to achieve. Examples of these types of goals can include relatively short projects such as “organizing the hall closet” or “cleaning out my office file drawers” to longer term projects such as “losing 10 lbs,” or “getting fit again,” to complex tasks such as “writing a memoir.” What each of these examples has in common is that the person has wanted to accomplish the goal for quite some time; it may even be something that has weighed on their minds for years. They have just not been able to accomplish this particular goal.

The 5-Box Model is a simple coaching tool to help clients achieve greater awareness of a long-held-but-not-achieved goal (International Coach Academy, 2002). This coaching tool is useful during a coaching session when a client seems at a loss regarding what they want to work on, or when they express being overwhelmed by to-do list items that never get done.

Application

To use the 5-Box Model coaching tool, a coach will have the client use whatever is conveniently at hand to draw five columns on a sheet of paper (or ipad, etc.), and number the columns 1 through 5.  The coach will then read each of the following questions one at a time, and have the client jot down his/her answers in the correspondingly-numbered column:

  1. What is a goal that you have held for some amount of time, but not achieved?
  2. How long have you held this goal?
  3. What has been getting in the way?
  4. What step(s) could you take this week, to bring you closer to accomplishing this goal?
  5. How will you feel when you accomplish this goal? How will your life be different?

Thus, at the conclusion of the brief exercise, the client should have recorded answers to the following questions, in five columns:

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Facilitation and Theoretical Underpinning

This coaching tool helps the client connect with their underlying motivation for this goal, from a variety of perspectives. The first three columns help the client gain self-awareness about what has been going on with their lack of progress on this particular goal.  The fourth and fifth columns help the client look toward the future, and re-engage their positive vision surrounding this particular goal.  For example, the fourth column encourages the setting of SMART goals (i.e. specific, measurable, action-oriented, relevant, and time-bound goals), which are motivational from expectancy and choice theory perspectives (Glaser, 1998; Vroom, 1964).  The fifth column, where clients describe how their life would be different when they achieve the goal, taps into the heart of what energizes them about this particular goal.

There are many coaching exercises which can be helpful during a particular coaching engagement.  The Five-Box Model is useful as a starting point when a client is “stuck” and needs to move forward on a particular goal.

References

Glaser, W. (1998). Choice theory: A new psychology of personal freedom. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.

International Coach Academy (2002). Action vs. delay. International Coach Academy Pty. Ltd.

Vroom, V. (1964). Work and motivation.  New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

This article was written by Dr. Ann Herd, SPHR, Assistant Professor of Organizational Leadership and Learning at UofL.

Organizational Leadership and Learning at the University of Louisville offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees to foster leadership, learning, and performance.  Learn more about our in-person and online options by visiting our Degrees Page.

Life Is Different For Engaged Employees

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Dr. Brad Shuck

The study of employee engagement is a very personal topic for me. Early in my professional career, I knew this was something I wanted to know more about because I had experienced environments that were less than engaging. These were places of work where I wanted to give, but that ultimately felt constrained and unsafe. Being engaged meant being exposed. What I find as I talk to people about our research is that they have also experienced workplace environments that were less than engaging, or they know someone who has. Moreover, no one tells a positive story about being disengaged in their work, but a lot of people can recall really significant events in their professional lives where they were fully engaged in their work.

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These events were transformational at times (but not always), and often recalled with positive memories of doing something remarkable and working with others to get there. They were fulfilled and reported experiencing life during those times a little differently. So, ultimately my interest in engagement was to find ways that help employees live better lives in their work; at the core of my research is the belief that employees who experience high levels of engagement in their work also experience life fundamentally differently from those who cannot say they are engaged. I have personally and professionally seen this time and time again, and the research in this field would support that. There is still much more to uncover, but we are making progress.

pullquoteI think many might suspect the important role of workplace climate in the engagement-outcomes question, but the significance of the findings were somewhat surprising. It was surprising to us that the context of work from an individual, personal perspective would have such significant effects across each of the models. We also really wondered whether or not engagement would affect people beyond the traditional areas of performance so often examined. What we found was fairly significant to us – that employees who reported higher levels of engagement were also more likely to report lower levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and higher levels of personal accomplishment with their work, as well as increased levels of psychological wellbeing. This was all in the context of Fredrickson’s Broaden-and-Build Theory. Important to us was that results suggested there was a distinct personal psychological benefit for working fully engaged and a personal, individual psychological cost for being disengaged. I think this has implications for all of us in many areas of our lives.

JLOS_72ppiRGB_powerpointThe first way we see the extending of future research and practice was the use of non-traditional measures of engagement and psychological wellbeing in this study. The field has been so dominated by just a few voices and this research provides alternate avenues for scholars and practitioners. The dominate voices have so much to offer, but we maintain that advancing research means moving forward and hearing everyone. We knew this was risky in our study, and likely to create some challenge later, but forging new perspectives is rarely an easy task. To be sure, we did not forge these paths, but rather used the scholarship of others who did (and continue to do so) and tried to lift it up. As the old saying goes, a rising tide lifts all boats.

A second area we hoped to influence was to add to the growing conversation about how the experience of engagement effects human beings. We know engagement is good for organizations. This seems clear, but what we do not know much about is the cost or benefit of being engaged from the standpoint of the employee and their well being. We really wondered, “is engagement as good for employees as it is for the organizations they work for?” Hopefully, this paper contributes to that conversation in some small way.

A final area we hoped this study that could influence practice was the training of leaders and those who can influence the psychological climate of the workplace. Clearly, this is a place of development for many. As we mentioned in the article, it seems unlikely and counterintuitive to theory that moments of engagement, which lead to higher levels of employee wellbeing, would develop in negative climates. Thus, a very practical implication of this study concerns the purposeful development of psychologically positive workplace cultures as a means to impact how employees experience and interpret their work. We must work at this and develop very practical solutions that are grounded in sound theory are relevant research.

This article, written by Brad Shuck, Assistant Professor and Doctoral Program Coordinator in Organizational Leadership and Learning at the University of Louisville, was first published on the Management INK website.  Dr. Shuck teaches classes such as Leadership in HROD, Organizational Change and Consulting, Workplace Ethics, and Instructional Design and Development.

His paper “Employee Engagement and Well-Being: A Moderation Model and Implications for Practice,” co-authored by Professor Thomas G. Reio Jr. of Florida International University, is forthcoming in the Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies and now available in OnlineFirst.  Read the paper, “Employee Engagement and Well-Being: A Moderation Model and Implications for Practice,” online in the Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies.

Organizational Leadership and Learning at the University of Louisville offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees to foster leadership, learning, and performance.  Learn more about our in-person and online options by visiting our Degrees Page.

Appreciating the Positives of Work: An Interview with OLL’s Scholar-Practitioner in Residence

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Dr. Kevin Rose

Dr. Kevin Rose recently joined the Organizational Leadership and Learning faculty as the unique and newly created Scholar-Practitioner in Residence.  Although all OLL faculty are Scholar-Practitioners, what separates Rose’s position from more traditional faculty roles is that he has an even greater emphasis on “bringing the practical aspect of scholarship into the classroom,” said Rose.

As a scholar, Dr. Rose completed an Ed.D. in Workforce Development Education at the University of Arkansas in 2012.  The core of Dr. Rose’s research interests is organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs), which he described as “behaviors that we engage in at work that are not part of our jobs (are extra role), are not formally rewarded, [but] contribute positively to the organization.”  Basically, these are the “things we do at work to be a good citizen.”

While OCBs have been well-researched in business and industry, Rose’s study examined higher education where faculty and staff function in different roles than in corporations.  The findings of his study suggested “that staff may exhibit higher levels of OCB than faculty, that faculty OCBs were correlated with the number of presentations given, student contact hours, and service on committees, and that staff OCBs were correlated with satisfaction, loyalty, and productivity.”  In addition to organizational citizenship behavior, Dr. Rose is interested in researching diversity and inclusion from the perspective of what organizations are doing right.  He is also interested in studying friendship at work.

As a practitioner, Dr. Rose completed his master’s and doctoral degrees while working full-time at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas.  After earning his Bachelor of Science in International Business and German at Oral Roberts University in 2004, Rose joined the university as a training coordinator in the Small Business Development Center where he developed and delivered training for entrepreneurs on topics such as how to start a business, write a business plan, and write a marketing plan.

Shortly thereafter, he moved to the college’s Center for Management Executive Education where he worked with executives who saw the value of workforce learning for their medium to large-sized organizations.  In addition to designing and delivering instruction on a wide variety of topics including generations in the workplace and retail forecasting in the supply chain, Rose conducted and oversaw research in a broad variety of areas such as needs analysis and culture analysis.  Immediately prior to coming to the University of Louisville, Rose served as the Associate Vice President of the University of Arkansas’ Center for Global Learning where he oversaw ten educational programs.

As an educator, Rose believes his experience working full-time while continuing his education helps him to connect with students because he “understands that balance people have to take” and he tries to bring that into the classroom.  As a professor, Rose believes in applicability and the co-creation of learning.  He said he strives to ensure that everything covered in the classroom is applicable to the real world, and to the student’s current and future careers.  He is also aware that, while he may be an expert on a subject, he can still learn from his students, who have experience and expertise of their own.  Therefore, he sees his role as a guide taking the class on a journey where they can all learn and explore a subject together.  He teaches Evidence-Based Research in Human Resources and Organization Development, Human Resources and Organization Development Integrative Capstone, Conflict Resolution and Negotiation, and Diversity in the Workplace.

Rose enjoys working with his colleagues in the department:

We have people who are very willing to cooperate and help.  I have found that so refreshing and so helpful for me being new—not just to teaching but to the community and to the university—that I can rely on people in the department to help when they can.  Very friendly people, very cooperative, and willing to share materials, to share expertise, and to share everything they have.  It’s like a breath of fresh air.  They are so focused on students, and on doing what is best for the program, and what is best for department.  It is so nice to see the positive things coming from our faculty.

Dr. Kevin Rose is an Assistant Professor in Organizational Leadership and Learning at the University of Louisville.  This article was written by Christine Wiggins-Romesburg, SPHR, Graduate Research Assistant and Doctoral Student in Organizational Leadership and Learning.

Organizational Leadership and Learning at the University of Louisville offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees to foster leadership, learning, and performance.  Learn more about our in-person and online options by visiting our Degrees Page.

Performance Interventions: Training is Not Always the Solution

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by Daniela Hazel

Last spring, I was enrolled in Performance Interventions with Dr. Meera Alagaraja.  The main purpose of this course was to use the Human Performance Technology (HPT) process to explore performance improvement options outside of training.  Our hallmark assessment task consisted of identifying a critical business issue, identifying the gap between the actual and desired states, and presenting recommendations based on analysis of data gathered.

The Louisville Water Company (LWC) takes proud ownership in having served its 850,000+ customers for more than 150 years and looks to continue providing excellent customer service and value.  The meter-reading department is a critical component in attaining LWC’s goals.  In my role as Metering Services Specialist, I am tasked with the responsibility of assessing processes and seeking alternative ways to improve work production and move employees closer to achieving system goals.

This area has experienced several cultural changes over the past 5 – 10 years, including new employees, new management, and overall structural changes to the organization.  Meter reading also consists solely of union employees, which is an important factor in determining performance interventions.

Due to the significant differences in goals and actual outcomes for 2011, the management team determined that changes should be implemented to improve their process and overall system.  This was an area of opportunity to investigate where the lagging occurs and then implement techniques of the Human Performance Technology (HPT) model in a performance intervention.  Some potential effects of the area not meeting goals include having an influx of work, fluctuating revenue, higher expenses for operations and maintenance due to overtime, possibility of more risk claims, and an inability to maintain positive working relationships.

During the data-collection phase, I began consulting with the meter reading supervisor to determine what and where the gap existed in results.  Identifying the gap helped me to create a plan concerning what information should be collected.  Using the HPT model, the whole system is reviewed to locate contributing factors to the performance gap, including the organizational, process and individual levels.

First, existing data is used to analyze how LWC is affected by the work of the meter readers, including financials, and analyzing whether the company is meeting employees’ needs.  Second, we review current procedures the meter reading supervisor and his employees use and observe activities such as team meetings to assess process interaction.  Last, interviews are conducted with high performing meter readers to assess what sets them apart from the team and gain individual feedback.

Having gathered and analyzed this plethora of information, I was able to pinpoint specific contributors to the performance gap and provide recommendations for overcoming the critical business issue.  Application of the concepts from this course enabled me to present solutions that not only included changes from a training perspective, but also solutions to implement changes in behavior.  Today, I am a better internal consultant and change agent in my organization because I have developed my analytical skills and broadened my conceptual knowledge on best practices for improving performance.

This article was written by Daniela Hazel, M.S. student in the Human Resource and Organization Development Program and Metering Services Specialist at the Louisville Water Company.  Daniela completed this intervention as part of her coursework in Performance Intervention, which is a Master’s level course taught by Dr. Meera Alagaraja.

Organizational Leadership and Learning at the University of Louisville offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees to foster leadership, learning, and performance.  Learn more about our in-person and online options by visiting our Degrees Page.

Four Steps to Achieving Greater Balance in Your Life

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Dr. Ann Herd, SPHR

Studies suggest that “worklife balance” is one of the top three drivers of engagement for high-potential and high-performing employees (CLC, 2010; Senge, 2006).  With the demands of a global and changing economy, however, many employees are being asked to do more with fewer resources.  As a consequence, these employees may feel “stretched” and pressured to devote a great deal of time and energy to their work.  These people may describe themselves as having a lack of “worklife balance.”  They feel that work is getting the lion’s share of their time and energy, when what they would really like to focus on is their non-work lives.

On the other hand, there are those who feel that their non-work lives are getting the lion’s share of their attention.  These people also may describe themselves as lacking in “worklife balance.”

Both sets of people—those who feel they devote too much energy to work, and those who feel they devote too much energy to non-work activities—feel “out of balance.”  They want to achieve greater satisfaction in both their work and their non-work roles, and not feel that one is demanding greater amounts of their energy at the expense of the other.

What is worklife balance?  Merrill and Merrill (2003) define balance as the alignment between values and actions.  We each have values relating to work and family.  At the same time, we must make moment-to-moment decisions every day about how we will spend our time and money.  To the extent that these decisions mirror our true values about work and non-work, we are “in balance.”

Another way to look at worklife balance is that when we are “in balance,” everything in our life is moving toward a common purpose.  All our “parts” are moving in the same direction.  Like a runner who is running a marathon, all parts of the runner’s body are helping her to move forward; her legs, feet, hands, arms, and face are all facing forward and in the same direction to achieve the same goal of finishing the marathon.  Contrast this image with a person who has one arm being pulled one way, and another arm the other way.  The person cannot stay long in this position—with their two arms being pulled in different directions.  Something has to give.

How do you know if you are “in balance” or “out of balance?”  Self-monitoring is helpful in knowing whether you are in or out of balance at any given time.  Monitor your body for signs of tension and discomfort, and monitor your thoughts for signs of conflict and stress.  In addition, you may ask the following questions to help you diagnose the extent to which you feel “balanced:”

  • Do you feel happy and conflict-free, about the decisions you make on a daily basis concerning where to spend your time?
  • Do you feel that you are “where you need to be” most of the time?

Positive answers to these questions indicate balance, which is accompanied by feelings of peace, serenity, acceptance, and acknowledgement that you are doing what you need to do at any given moment, and that you are where you need to be at any given moment.  On the other hand, positive answers to the following questions indicate lack of balance:

  • Do you often feel as if you should be doing something else?
  • Do you often wish you were someplace else?

Of course, there may be times when a person decides to be “out of balance” for awhile, in order to achieve a particular goal that requires more time, or intense focus of effort during a certain period of time.  As long as the decision to be “out of balance” is a conscious and deliberate choice, the negative feelings of being out of balance will not be as great.  Why?  Because the person knows that this is for a specified period of time and the decision is aligned with one or more of his/her core values.

To re-cap, the following equation summarizes the relationship between balance, values, and actions:

Balance = f(Alignment Between Values and Actions)

The extent to which a person feels “balanced” or “out-of-balance” is a function of the extent to which they see alignment between their core values and their day-to-day actions.

Coaching Application: 4 Steps to Achieving Greater Balance

  1. First, identify your core values.  Use a predetermined list to give you ideas, or simply write down what comes to mind as the core unifying values in your life.
  2. After identifying your top 3 – 5 core values, examine the extent to which your actions each day exemplify each value.  Which value would you like to see more of in your daily life?
  3. Brainstorm specific actionsyou could take to “see” and live that value to a greater extent.  Some helpful questions include:
    • What can you do more of, that you are not doing now, in order to live out this value?
    • What might you need to take off your plate, in order to have time for actions which exemplify this value?
    • How can you rearrange your schedule so that you spend time on this value?
    • What might you need to take out of your schedule to allow this value to show up more in your actions?
  4. As a final step, set SMART goals (specific, measurable, action-oriented, relevant and realistic, and time-bound) regarding steps you can take this week relating to the actions identified above.

Coach Ann

References

Corporate Leadership Council (2010). The disengaged star: Four imperatives to re-engage high- potential employees.  Report by the Corporate Executive Board CLC Human Resources.

Merrill, A. R., & Merrill, R. R. (2003). Life matters: Creating a dynamic balance of work, family, time, and money.  New York: McGraw-Hill.

Senge, P. (2006). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. New York, NY: Doubleday.

This article was written by Dr. Ann Herd, SPHR, Assistant Professor of Organizational Leadership and Learning at UofL.

Organizational Leadership and Learning at the University of Louisville offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees to foster leadership, learning, and performance.  Learn more about our in-person and online options by visiting our Degrees Page.

Student Completes Undergraduate Degree and Goes to Law School: 1600 Miles and 35 Years later

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Lisa Matthews

Lisa Matthews

Where do you go when you’ve worked full-time for 26 years, partially completed your college education, and find you’ve reached the limits of your career? For Lisa Matthews, the answer was UofL’s Bachelor’s Degree in Workforce Leadership—a program sixteen-hundred miles from her family’s home in Utah.

Lisa Matthews started college when she was seventeen, attended for a year, and then left to raise a family.  While at the time, Lisa had no idea of how or when she’d complete her degree, she vowed to herself and her father, who was ill and in the hospital, that one day she would finish, and thirty-five years later she did just that.

Eight years after leaving college, Lisa took two computer-programming courses so that she could apply for a promotion at work.  She got the promotion and several more after that.  Ten years later, she began taking one course per semester because she was determined to complete her degree.

Over the years, Lisa became restless as her interests shifted towards training and employment law, but she didn’t know how to change careers after working full-time for 26 years.  In 2009, Lisa’s family was contemplating a move from Utah to her husband’s hometown of Louisville.

When Lisa learned that our undergraduate program offers a unique feature that allows students to transfer their previous coursework and convert their many years of knowledge and informal educational experience into credit hours, she told her husband they must move to Louisville.  In May 2010, Lisa took her first class at the University of Louisville.  She said enrolling in our bachelor’s program was one of the best decisions she has ever made.

Over a year later, Lisa graduated and earned the Malcom S.  Knowles Award in Workforce Leadership, which honors an undergraduate “who excels both academically and professionally by successfully integrating prior learning into the program.”

Lisa found the coursework extremely relevant: “Everything I learned was useful because I could relate it to the past and apply it in the future.  It allowed me to see things from a new perspective, and gave me ideas that can be used in the home, community, school, work, and in all aspects of life.”  Dr. Matt Bergman said Lisa’s “level of focus and dedication to her studies is evident in every conversation you have with her.  She has a gift for synthesizing information from theory and adapting it to real world practice.”

In her Adult Learning and Diversity course, Lisa learned not only how adults learn, but also how she learns.  In Project Management, Lisa chose applying to UofL’s Louis D.  Brandeis School of Law as her semester project.  She was accepted there and at four other Law Schools.  She started the law program, where she is the oldest student in her class, one week after graduating with her bachelor’s degree.  Lisa states that having her four-year degree is “everything.” Without it, she felt she had reached the limit of where she could go or accomplish in her career.  It also signified the fulfillment of the promise she made to her father.

Dr. Ann Herd said Lisa’s “commitment to lifelong learning and development, and her drive and resilience in pursuing her goals, serve as a reminder to all of us that we can strive to achieve our potential through our educational, work, and life experiences.  Lisa is an inspiration.”  Dr. Bergman explained that “Lisa exemplifies every attribute of what it means to be an outstanding adult learner.  Her persistence and commitment have been a great model for other adults.”  Bergman added that her example pushed him to strive for excellence in his work and studies as he completed his doctoral degree.

Lisa wants to use her story to let others know they can do it too, and that the program gives students the opportunity to translate their knowledge and skills in a way that “allows you to see the end, that you can do this, that you can accomplish your goal.”  Faculty member, Roger Buskill said that Lisa’s is “a wonderful story to tell.  Our program came along at the right time in her life to help her in her life-long learning journey.”

Lisa is enjoying the law program.  The professors are excellent and the experience is very challenging.  She believes that being an adult learner gives her a unique perspective to the study of law.  She wants to use her education to influence management and address workplace climate issues.

This article was written by Christine Wiggins-Romesburg, SPHR, Graduate Research Assistant and Doctoral Student in Organizational Leadership and Learning.

Organizational Leadership and Learning at the University of Louisville offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees to foster leadership, learning, and performance.  Learn more about our in-person and online options by visiting our Degrees Page.

Accolades and Adventures: News from OLL Students, Alumni, and Faculty

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Congratulations December 2012 Graduates!

Awards for Graduates:

Undergraduate:

  • Raymond Graves, Christopher Frey Outstanding Military Learner Award
  • Michael Keibler, Workforce Leadership Community Engagement Award
  • Raylene Pollio, Malcolm S. Knowles Outstanding Student Award
  • Wendi Sachs, Professional Collegiality Award
  • Judy Shelton, Resilience Award

Graduate:

  • Elizabeth Krauss, R. Wayne Pace Award in Human Resource Education
  • Ruth Ann Moser, Graduate Dean’s Citation
  • Carrie Tilton, Human Resource Education Community Engagement Award

Student Accolades and Adventures

  • Dr. Meera Alagaraja presented the spring UofL-SHRM student chapter webinar entitled “Strategic HR:  Getting a seat at the executive table.”
  • Dr. Michael Anthony presented the fall UofL-SHRM student chapter webinar entitled “Diversity builds strong, resilient, and innovative organizations.”
  • Nana Arthur-Mensah (Ph.D. student) and Brad Shuck published a paper in New Horizons in Adult Education and Human Resource Development entitled “E-learning in developing countries: Implications for workforce training and development in Africa.”
  • Nana Arthur-Mensah (Ph.D. student) and Meera Alagaraja presented a research paper entitled “NHRD in Ghana: Exploring technical vocational education and training issues”   at the 2013 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference in Arlington, Virginia.
  • Elizabeth Aubrey (M.S., 2011) started the doctoral program in January.
  • Cara Dimattina (Ph.D. student), Meera Alagaraja, and James R. Stone, III., presented a research paper entitled “Building regional HRD strategy: A qualitative case study of a community college and industry partnership” at the 2013 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference in Arlington, Virginia.
  • Lisa-Anne Ferris (Ph.D. student) and Meera Alagaraja presented a research paper entitled “Quality of patient care services: An organizational analysis” at the 2013 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference in Arlington, Virginia.
  • Yvette Gentry (M.S. student) was a finalist for the position of Chief of Police for LMPD.
  • Chris Gerry (M.S. student) will serve as a Workforce Center Supervisor for the City of Anaheim, California’s Community Development Department, Workforce Development Division.  In his new role, he will supervise staff responsible for providing assigned Workforce Investment Act (WIA) program services and activities.
  • Nora Honken (Ph.D. student) and Brad Shuck published a review in Human Resource Development Quarterly entitled “Networking for people who hate to network: A field guide for introverts, the overwhelmed, and the underconnected.”
  • Patrick Levier (M.S. student) has been selected to serve as the Program Manager for Humana’s Values Integration effort. The intent of the program is to integrate the values of Humana’s leadership team into Humana’s culture and day-to-day operations.
  • Devon Twyford (Ph.D. student), Brad Shuck, and Meera Alagaraja presented a research paper entitled “Human resource development in small business: An application of Brethower’s performance principles to on the job training” at the 2013 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference in Arlington, Virginia.
  • With Dr. Rod Githens, Christine Wiggins-Romesburg (Ph.D. student) presented a Food ‘N Thought session entitled “Appreciative inquiry as a foundational approach to HRD??” at the 2013 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference in Arlington, Virginia.
  • Cara Wilson (M.S. student), accepted a position as a Learning Consultant at Humana.

Alumni Accolades and Adventures

  • 2nd Lt. Jonathon Charney (B.S., 2012) became a commissioned officer in December.
  • Denise Cumberland (Ph.D., 2012) was first runner-up for the Academy of Human Resource Development’s Malcolm S. Knowles Dissertation of the Year Award.
    • 2nd Lt. Christopher Davis (B.S., 2012) became a commissioned officer in December.
    • Dr. Rajashi Ghosh (Ph.D., 2009) received the Human Resource Development Review’s Article of the Year Award for her article entitled “Reverse mentoring:  A social exchange tool for keeping the boomers engaged and millennials committed.”
    • Dr. Kathleen Gosser (Ph.D., 2011) became the Dean of Breakthrough University at Yum!  Kathleen is an adjunct faculty member in the program.

 Faculty and Staff Accolades and Adventures

  • The Master’s program in Panama launched in January.
  • Drs. Githens, Alagaraja, Bergman, and Herd gave a presentation entitled “Innovations in learning: Fostering leadership, learning, and performance” to senior HR leaders from the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command, at the University of Louisville Professional Development Unit, Louisville, Kentucky.

Dr. Matt Bergman:

  • Received the 2012 NACADA Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Advising;
  • Appointed to the Urban Enterprise Association Board in New Albany, Indiana;
  • Nominated for the 2012 Union College Athletic Hall of Fame.

Roger Buskill:

  • Elected President of the Kentuckiana Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD).

Dr. Ann Herd:

  • Designed and facilitated a workshop for University of Louisville faculty and staff in October 2012 entitled “WorkLife Balance”;
  • Received the UofL’s 2013 Top 4 Faculty Favorite of the Year award.

Dr. Brad Shuck:

  • Named to the Editorial Board of Advances in Developing Human Resources.

Faculty Presentations and Publications

Dr. Meera Alagaraja:

  • Presented a paper at the 2013 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference in Arlington, Virginia entitled “A conceptual model for understanding lean strategy implementation”;
  • Presented with Cara DiMattina (Ph.D. student), and James Stone III, a paper entitled “Building regional HRD strategy: A qualitative case study of a community college and industry partnership” at the 2013 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference in Arlington, Virginia;
  • Presented with Devon Twyford (Ph.D. student), and Brad Shuck, a paper entitled “Human resource development in small business: An application of Brethower’s performance principles to on-the-job training” at the 2013 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference in Arlington, Virginia;
  • Presented with Lisa-Anne Ferris (Ph.D. student), a paper entitled “Quality of patient care services: An organizational analysis” at the 2013 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference in Arlington, Virginia;
  • Presented with Nana Arthur-Mensah (Ph.D. student), a paper entitled “NHRD in Ghana: Exploring technical vocational education and training issue” at the 2013 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference in Arlington, Virginia;
  • Presented with Pradeep Kotamraju, and Sehoon Kim, a paper entitled “The importance of VET in NHRD strategy: Review of literature” at the 2013 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference in Arlington, Virginia;
  • Published a paper in Human Resource Development International entitled “National human resource development in practice: An interview with M. V. Subbiah”;
  • Published with J. Wang a paper in Human Resource Development Review entitled “Reflections on the invited response: Dominant themes in current NHRD research”;
  • Published with J. Wang a research paper in Human Resource Development Review entitled “Development of national human resource development strategy: Cases of India and China.”

Dr. Matt Bergman:

  • Presented a paper entitled “Recruit, retain, graduate: Increasing adult learner persistence to graduation” at the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) National Conference, Nashville, Tennessee.

Dr. Rod Githens:

  • Led a Food ‘N Thought session with Christine Wiggins-Romesburg (Ph.D. student) at the 2013 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference in Arlington, Virginia entitled “Appreciative inquiry as a foundational approach to HRD”;
  • Presented a research paper at the State Conference of the Kentucky Society for Human Resource Management Conference, Louisville, Kentucky entitled “Whoa, what just happened?! The connection between diversity and incivility”;
  • Presented workshops on strength-based organization change in a public event in Panama City, Panama and privately to Panama offices of Adidas and Caterpillar Corporation;
  • Published a research paper entitled “Approaches to diversity in educating for LGBTQ-friendly changes in a university” in Journal of Diversity in Higher Education;
  • Published a research paper entitled “Organization change and social organizing strategies: Employee-initiated organization development” in Human Resource Development Quarterly;
  • Published with Edgard Cornacchione, Oenardi Lawanto, and Scott Johnson, a research paper entitled “The role of student’s professional experience in online learning: Analysis of asynchronous participation” in the Journal of Online Learning and Teaching;
  • Published with Steven Schmidt, Tonnete Rocco, and Martin Kormanik, an article in Human Resource Development Review entitled “Lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered people and human resource development: An examination of the literature”;
  • Published with Timothy Sauer, Fashaad Crawford, and Kristen Wilson, a research paper entitled “Online occupational education in community colleges: Prevalence, programming, and connection with workforce development needs” in the Journal of Career and Technical Education Research.

Dr. Ann Herd

  • Presented with Paula Kommor, Noell Rowan, and Paul Salmon, a paper entitled “Using appreciative inquiry and critical thinking processes to develop an interdisciplinary appreciative coaching academic program: An application of mirrored process and content” at the 2013 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference in Arlington, Virginia.

Dr. Pradeep Kotamraju

  • Presented with Meera Alagaraja, and Sehoon Kim, a paper at the 2013 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference in Arlington, Virginia entitled “The importance of VET in NHRD strategy: Review of literature”;
  • Published “The crosswalk validation project: Final report.” Louisville, Kentucky: National Research Center for Career and Technical Education, University of Louisville;
  • Published “Using return on investment (ROI) and other related tools: Guidelines for measuring career and technical education (CTE) internal efficiency and external effectiveness.” Louisville, Kentucky: National Research Center for Career and Technical Education, University of Louisville;
  • Published “Vocational education and training quality and evaluation: Its place in the U.S. community college,” in A. Barabasch & F. Rauner (Eds.), Work and education in America: The art of integration. New York: Springer Dordrecht;
  • Published with Kurt Gesinger, Hope Cottner, and Dean Folkers, “Using data for decision-making, accountability, and evaluation,” in The career pathways effect: Linking education and economic prosperity.  Waco Texas: CORD;
  • Published with Oscar Aliaga and James Stone, III, “A typology for understanding the career and technical education credit-taking experience of high school students.”  Louisville, Kentucky: National Research Center for Career and Technical Education, University of Louisville.

Dr. Kevin Rose:

  • Presented a roundtable session at the American Association for Adult and Continuing Education conference in November on Employee Resource Groups;
  • Presented a paper entitled “Organizational citizenship behaviors in higher education: Examining the relationship between behaviors and performance outcomes for India” at the 2013 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference in Arlington, Virginia.”

Dr. Brad Shuck:

  • Gave a presentation with T. Candler, T Cardwell, R. Richardson, M. Rivard, and K. Zeilman, entitled “Compassionate organizations: How organizations can support a compassionate city campaign” at the Kentucky Society of Human Resource Management, Louisville, Kentucky;
  • Presented research entitled “Employee engagement and the individual: What can we reasonably expect?” to the United Kingdom Economic and Social Research Council in London;
  • Presented research entitled “Engagement in the field of HRD: Implications for research and practice” at Drexel University, School of Education, Human Resource Development Program, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania;
  • Presented research entitled “Outcomes of employee engagement: An international perspective” to the Economic and Social Research Council at the Kent School of Business, Chatham, United Kingdom;
  • Presented research entitled “Instructional design in practice: Lessons from the field” at Indiana University, School of Education, Department of Instructional Systems Technology, Bloomington, Indiana;
  • Presented with Devon Twyford, Angie Shuck, and Thomas Reio, a paper entitled “Human resource development and employee engagement: Examining the connection between employee turnover intentions” at the 2013 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference in Arlington, Virginia;
  • Presented with Devon Twyford, Brad Shuck, and Meera Alagaraja, a paper entitled “Human resource development in small business: An application of Brethower’s performance principles to on-the-job training” at the 2013 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference in Arlington, Virginia;
  • Presented with Jesse Owen, a paper entitled “Beyond performance on the immediate work task: Exploring the kaleidoscope of employee engagement as a conceptual framework and implications for theory” at the 2013 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference in Arlington, Virginia;
  • Presented with K. K. Wollard a live international webcast entitled “Employee engagement and HRD: An update to linking theory and scholarship to practice” to the Academy of Human Resource Development, St. Paul, Minnesota;
  • Presented with Kim Nimon, and Drea Zigarmi, a paper entitled “Employee engagement and HRD: Philosophical underpinnings, measurement, and interventions” at the 2013 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference in Arlington, Virginia;
  • Presented with Neal Chalofsky, John Dirkx, Patricia Boverie, Sunny Munn, and Peter Kuchinke, a paper at the 2013 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference in Arlington, Virginia entitled “Reframing individual development and organizational change around meaning and purpose”;
  • Presented with Steve Maffei, Mary Lynn Lunn, and Andrea Ellinger, a paper entitled “Freedom of self-expression as an antecedent of employee engagement: A review of literature and development of a conceptual framework and research hypotheses” at the 2013 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference in Arlington, Virginia;
  • Published with Ann Herd the most-read Human Resource Development Review article in 2012 entitled “Employee engagement and leadership: Exploring the convergence of two frameworks and implications for leadership development in HRD”.

Dr. James Stone, III:

  • Gave the keynote address at the Arizona CTE State conference and meeting with state education policy leaders entitled “College and Career Readiness for the 21st Century”;
  • Participated in the Brookings Institution Policy Roundtable Presentation and Panel Discussion “Strengthening educational and employment pathways to support competitive and inclusive metropolitan economies”;
  • Presented research entitled “College and Career Ready for the 21st Century: Making High School Matter” at the SREB/HSTW Staff Development Conference, New Orleans;
  • Presented research entitled “Developing scalable and rigorous CT curricula and transforming courses in existing CT pathways in high-wage, high-demand and high-skill fields to assure students have challenging and engaging learning experiences” at the SREB State Leader’s Forum, South Carolina;
  • Presented research entitled “HRD, AdEd, CTE: Shared history, shared future” at the University Council for Workforce and HR Education, OSU;
  • Presented research entitled “Maximizing the CTE context: Strengthening academic skills in career pathways” at the National Career Pathways Network national conference, Richmond, VA ;
  • Presented research entitled “Preparing the career & college ready student: Making high school matter” to the Ohio Valley Education Consortium;
  • Presented research entitled “The place of CTE within high-quality and comprehensive educational systems: Visions and principles” at the Center on Poverty, Inequality & Public Policy, Georgetown University;
  • Presented research entitled “What the research reveals about programs of study” at the National Career Clusters Institute;
  • Presented research to the Policy Advisory Committee entitled “Raise your hand Texas”;
  • Presented the keynote address entitled “Programs of study: Development and implementation” and follow-up workshop at Arizona CTE Leadership Teams;
  • Presented the keynote address entitled “Taking programs of study to the next level” at the Arizona (Regional Consortium);
  • Presented with Cara DiMattina, and Meera Alagaraja, a paper entitled “Building regional HRD strategy: A qualitative case study of a community college and industry partnership” at the 2013 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference in Arlington, Virginia;
  • Provided testimony to the Florida Legislative Task Force on Career & Technical Education on addressing the challenges to CTE resulting from new Florida school reform initiatives;
  • Published a chapter entitled “The Non-System of VET in the United States” in Rauner (Eds.), Reflections on TVET in the United States from a German and US perspective. Deutsche und US Amerikanische Einsichten zur Berufsbildung in den US. (pp. 231-250). New York: Springer Press;
  • Published an article in International Journal of Education Reform entitled “If programs of study are the solution, what is the problem?”;
  • Published with M. Lewis, College and Career Ready for the 21st Century: Making High School Matter, New York: Teacher’s College Press.

The Role of Career and Technical Education In Human Resource Development

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Dr. Stone

Dr. James R. Stone, III

Dr. James R. Stone III, is Director of the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education (NRCCTE), which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and affiliated with Organizational Leadership and Learning at UofL.  Stone says he runs the organization like a small business. With a $20M grant and 50 to 75 individuals working to support its mission, the Center is the nation’s primary provider of scientifically-based knowledge, professional development, and consulting expertise to improve career and technical education (CTE). A central focus of the Center is to provide direct consulting expertise to states and school districts based on the work of the Center. Stone said, “moving research to practice is why we exist.”

According to Stone, CTE shares a common history and many similarities with human resource development (HRD). Both consider engagement (retention within the academic program or employer organization), achievement (performance while at school or work), and transition (having the necessary skills to move successfully from high school to college, or school to work, or move within an organization or career lattice). The essential difference is that CTE takes a broader view of school and labor-force demands, while HRD focuses inward to the individuals and the needs of the organization itself. Moreover, Stone states that “if you look at the operational level, pedagogies, curriculum, and assessments [used in CTE and HRD]—there are parallels, and in some cases, the two are identical.”

Part of Stone’s outward view includes labor market data that provides information often at odds with assumptions that drive federal and state education policy. He states that everything the center does “links youths or adults to the workplace and the labor market.” One such linkage the center is currently investigating is the Automotive Manufacturing Technical Education Collaborative (AMTEC)—a National Science Foundation (NSF) project that supports partnerships between manufacturers, such as Toyota, and community and technical colleges to create “a pipeline of people prepared to work in today’s highly technical shop floor.”

Dr. Stone is passionate and devoted to his work, which he describes as a “24-hour a day, 7-day a week gig.” This involves oversight of the Center’s research studies, managing the relationship of the Center with the funding agency, and keeping the eight Center consortium partners actively engaged and working with the many states and school districts with which the Center provides technical assistance. As well, Stone is the public face of the Center and is frequently invited to national and international meetings.

“In the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to discuss the Common Core Standards with national leaders at Georgetown University, present a paper on the role of CTE in STEM education with the National Academies of Science, meet with legislators and state education leaders in Texas about CTE and college and career readiness, and participate in an adult numeracy panel with the National Center on Educational Statistics. Stone, along with Drs. Pradeep Kotamraju and Donna Pearson recently worked with the state of Kentucky on drafting legislation to improve the quality of secondary CTE.

An important focus of the Center is on secondary education. A major challenge he says, is that our current secondary education system is designed to prepare all students to go to college. The problem is only 40 percent of students who start 9th grade actually earn a college credential. Stone views CTE as a conduit to help all students have successful careers, and this means equipping them with the skills to be successful in college and their careers.

According to Dr. Stone, being college and career ready means acquiring competence in three domains of knowledge and skills. The first he calls “the occupational expression of academics.” This means using academic knowledge to solve authentic problems one confronts in the workplace. The second domain is occupational knowledge, which includes employability and interpersonal skills, such as the ability to work on teams, negotiate, and understand systems.

The third domain is technical knowledge. For example, Dr. Stone said that “welders need to know how to run a bead without blowing a hole with the torch.” To do this, a welder must understand certain properties of physics and chemistry. He says these skills may be taught using authentic projects and problem-based learning, and can be taught in more traditional training settings. This applies to disciplines like welding, computers, and nursing. “It is this notion of pedagogy,” he says, “that is an important part of our research agenda.”

Dr. Stone co-authored with Dr. Morgan Lewis, College and Career Ready in the 21st Century: Making High School Matter, which was published by Teacher’s College Press (2012). Stone noted that the book draws from the past decade of Center-related research and, in part, argues for educational reform: “we have turned high school into the new middle school; that is, there is no intrinsic value in a high school education except to prepare all youth for the next level of education, presumably college… [and] the net result of such a focus is a system that ill-serves perhaps as many as 60 percent of the students who… will never complete a college credential.”

Stone also cited the nation’s extraordinarily high dropout rate as something of interest in the work of the Center. The Center’s research exploring national data back to 1992 reveals a consistent pattern that youth taking three or more credits of CTE coursework have an increased likelihood of finishing high school, which is the necessary “first condition to being college or career ready.”

While Dr. Stone’s work as director of the Center limits his ability to teach classes in the College, he does work with doctoral students pursing interests in these areas. He also works with colleagues in various Center research studies and in the pursuit of other funded research opportunities.

Dr. James R. Stone, III is a Distinguished University Scholar and Professor in Organizational Leadership and Learning.  He is also the Director of the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education. This article was written by Christine Wiggins-Romesburg, SPHR, Graduate Research Assistant and Doctoral Student in Organizational Leadership and Learning.

Organizational Leadership and Learning at the University of Louisville offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees to foster leadership, learning, and performance.  Learn more about our in-person and online options by visiting our Degrees Page.