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Human Resource Development Review
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Postmodernism and HRD Theory: Current Status and Prospects

Heeyoung Han

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

K. Peter Kuchinke

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

David Andrew Boulay

North Carolina State University

With posttraditionalism and postmodern frames of reference firmly established in social theory and many of the applied social sciences, including management, the question of the role of postmodernism in human resource development (HRD) theory needs to be asked. The purpose of the article is to explicate the contribution of postmodernism to HRD, distinguish posttraditionalism from the recently emerged stream of critical perspectives on HRD, and to argue for the contribution of postmodern readings of HRD theory to better understand the complex landscape of contemporary organizations, employees, and learning and development functions. Starting with a historical analysis of the meaning of the Enlightenment, and various modernist perspectives, the article describes the central tenets of postmodern theory and their implications for the theory and practice of HRD and argue for its important role in broadening and enriching the field of HRD.

Key Words: postmodernism • social theory • posttraditionalism

This version was published on March 1, 2009

Human Resource Development Review, Vol. 8, No. 1, 54-67 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1534484308330021
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