Challenges in the field of human resource development

Summary             There are many challenges that lie ahead in the future of people in the field of human resource development (HRD). It has evolved over the years and many new hurdles will test the theories used and practiced in HRD. So many people are already analyzing what the prognosis is for the future so to deal with new complexities. However, if HRD is anticipated and the future of it is projected, we are jumping ahead of what the relevance of today’s theories are at this time. With the new world ahead of us, will we be prepared to take on the new challenges that we will encounter?
Some of the questions faced today and how they are practiced in HRD include: the leadership challenge, diversity, globalization, the collision of the generations, technology, longevity and the workforce gap (Henderson and Provo, 2006, p. 274-275). Everything in HRD is revolutionizing quickly. As more people are entering the work force, some leaders seem to be unprepared for their roles they have been promoted into. Globalization and technology are revolutionizing at fast paces as we expand business and intercommunications with other countries and watch as ever-changing technology makes things completely unpredictable as one aspect of technology becomes new and learned, it quickly phases out and is replaced by another. As generations begin to work alongside each other, there will soon be five different generations by the year 2050 (Henderson and Provo, 2006, p. 275). It will be interesting to see how people that are older in the workforce work alongside those people who have gained more expertise and education that they picked up on the job.
Application
Despite the fact that changes are coming in HRD, we must recognize that those changes are necessary in order to progress. To remain frozen within HRD is something that is simply unfathomable and useless. As everything around us evolves, we must follow the trends. While we may not be sure that we are ready for them and some can be unimaginable at this point, we must recognize that at some point, the concepts that we once saw as difficult obstacles will be a norm and in HRD, we will only be faced with new challenges that are similar.
While this may sound intimidating to some as they enter the workforce, it is important to recognize that sometimes theories and concepts are just ideals that are intangible. When we actually apply them to what we are really doing, it is not as difficult to comprehend them as we proceed and carry on. The question may always be asked if we are ready for a new world and we could always easily say no. That just means that we are not ready to take them head-on and address them. With time, we will only have a new series of questions that may overwhelm.
References
Henderson, G. M. and Provo, J. (20056). A New World Ahead- Are We Ready? Human Resource Development Review. 5, 274-277). Doi: 10. 1177/1534484306287606