Reflections and Future Prospects for Evaluation in Human Resource Development

Abstract

Human resource development (HRD) evaluation has often been criticized for its limited function in organizational decision making. This article reviews evaluation studies to uncover the current status of HRD evaluation literature. The authors further discuss general evaluation theories in terms of value, use, and evaluator role to extend the discussion to more comprehensive multiple views of evaluation. The comparison of this literature suggests that evaluation in human resource development has been limited by narrow perspectives. The authors attribute this narrow notion of evaluation to a lack of theoretical consideration of the roles, value, and use of evaluation and a lack of analysis of paradoxical dynamics around HRD evaluation. This analysis provides several implications and future directions for HRD evaluation in the field.

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