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Theories and Models of Professional Development in Human Resource Management

ideas.repec.org

The science of how workers actually grow is messier than any HR handbook admits — this deep dive into professional development theories reveals the hidden frameworks shaping every training budget and career ladder.

Human Capital TheoryAndragogyConstructivismOrganizational Learning
Theories and Models of Professional Development in Human Resource Management

Theory Briefing

  • Continuous learning in the workplace isn't instinctive — it's engineered through competing theoretical models with very different assumptions about human motivation.
  • HRM frameworks range from behaviorist skill-drilling to constructivist self-directed growth, and which model a company picks quietly shapes its entire talent strategy.
  • Understanding the theory behind professional development exposes why so many corporate training programs fail — they apply the wrong model to the wrong workforce.