Factors such as globalization, restructuring, casualization of employment and the erosion of pension rights have led to massive tensions in contemporary organizations. By exploring the boundaries of the field of Human Resource Development this book asks where is HRD in the middle of all this and presents an innovative and challenging approach to HRD theory and practice.

With contributions from a number of leading international scholars, the chapters draw upon a range of epistemologies and adopt a critically reflective perspective on the field. The chapters are divided into four sections moving from a critical perspective on the definition and boundaries of the field of HRD, through a re-thinking of the human-centered nature of HRD, and the organizational context within which HRD takes place, to, finally, perspectives on the future role of HRD in the changing knowledge economy.

The book's main conclusion is that HRD remains a contested concept within the more broadly contested field of organization and management theory. Yet this is neither a drawback nor weakness on the one hand, nor an advantage or strength on the other. Both threats and opportunities present themselves for the future growth of HRD as an academic field, and as an arena of professional practice.