Technology, people, e-workplaces: these are the elements that fast moving organizations use to meet changing business requirements by using technology to invent new business processes, to re-align organizational structures, and to implement new management practices. Moreover, it has become apparent in today's global information economy, the most critical-indeed the primary-resource that distinguishes market leaders from everyone else is human talent! Countries, communities, and organizations are suddenly very interested in developing the human capacities that will allow them to compete in a networked world. Successful growing organizations have placed the combined development of information technology and human resources as their top priority. With the help of human resource professionals, organizations must grasp the pertinent aspects of both people and technology issues to create an effective e-workplace. These issues occur at the intersection of the disciplines of computer science, operation research, and human resource development. Because these issues are complex, they can best be understood through cross-disciplinary collaboration among experts who approach them from a range of perspectives. Human Resource Development and Information Technology: Making Global Connections presents just such a collaborative effort from leaders in the field. This book describes the changes that are occurring as technology plays a more central role in human resource development. It compares methods and tools that organizations can use to create their own practices for developing their most critical resource-people! In addition, the authors pose a set of interesting research questions that will help us further explore how countries, local communities, and organizations build dynamic systems for developing a sustained competitive advantage with human talent.

The rapidly transforming environment that we live in has made human resource development (HRD) all the more necessary for the success of today’s organizations. HRD initiatives help their organizations by developing employees who assist their organizations in not only surviving, but thriving in our increasingly global world. Today’s best practice or benchmarked organizations and their HRD professionals continue to recognize the importance of employee learning, knowledge, skills and motivation to organizational success. This recognition increasingly opens many doors as organizational leaders accept the fact that HRD initiatives can be used to ensure that organization members have what it takes to successfully meet the demands that confront them and their organizations. This book takes the position that HRD can demonstrate how their initiatives help to develop a superior workforce so that the organization and its individual employees can accomplish their strategic and operational goals in service to their clients or customers. This book is written with the belief that HRD professionals have many opportunities to learn, change and find ways both in and outside of the workplace to contribute to the development of learning organizations as we move further into the 21st century. A major point of this book is that HRD will continue to become more and more important to organizational success when one considers the increased responsibilities HRD professionals have taken on during and post- the COVID pandemic. The primary audience for this book is practicing HRM and HRD professionals, and other organizational leaders. The book provides proven ideas important to demonstrating the value of HRD. From a practical viewpoint, it is based on actual experience, a strong research base, and accepted practices presented in an easy to read form. A second target audience is students of HRD and HRM who are preparing for careers in this important field. This book will help them develop a solid foundation to the study of HRD practices or initiatives that are key to HRD success regardless of the type of organization. A third target audience is managers or leaders at all levels of an organization who are expected to take on a number of HRD responsibilities (e.g., as trainers, coaches, mentors, change agents, and so on) while regularly partnering with HRD professionals. It offers these individuals a firsthand look at what they should expect of their HRD functions or areas and how they can effectively work with HRD professionals in their organizations to achieve the organizations strategic goals by getting the most out of its human people.

In this technological age, the information technology (IT) industry is an important facet of society and business. The IT industry is able to become more efficient and successful through the examination of its structure and a larger understanding of the individuals that work in the field. Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Human Capital and Information Technology Professionals is a critical scholarly resource that focuses on IT as an industry and examines it from an array of academic viewpoints. Featuring coverage on a wide range of topics, such as employee online communities, role stress, and competence frameworks, this book is targeted toward academicians, students, and researchers seeking relevant research on IT as an industry.

This book is directed toward several audiences. First, it is designed for university courses in HRD. We argue that every HRD academic program needs a course that teaches the foundations of the field. Second, HRD researchers will find the book thought-provoking and useful as a guide to core research issues. Third, it is written for reflective practitioners who actively seek to lead the field as it grows and matures. Finally, almost every practitioner will find parts of the book that will add depth to their practice.

Valuing People and Technology in the Workplace: A Competitive Advantage Framework introduces a more proactive, strategic approach to bring employees into, and develop them within, an organization. Interpreting and accepting this concept requires managers to think of employees as they would think of technology. Technology, equipment, and systems are strategically aligned within organizations. Integrating the literature from strategic technology management, strategic human resource management, and human resource development and exploring how this integration can provide competitive advantage to organizations for better implementation of people and technology development initiatives is a potential solution. Valuing People and Technology in the Workplace: A Competitive Advantage Framework provides a comprehensive framework that can be used to develop and design case studies that could measure the identified values that people, technology, and strategy can provide to the organization. This book aims to serve as a guide for managers and leaders as they develop strategies to introduce new people and technology into the workplace.