About HRD at Minnesota

Human Resource Development (HRD) is an interdisciplinary field that combines insights from psychology, sociology, economics, organizational development, and education. We explore the human element of how organizations run. We research the dynamics between employees in an organizational context, and how knowledge is created and shared both formally and informally.

HRD practitioners are prepared to design training and development programs, identify system and business process needs, forecast necessary staffing changes, and improve employee engagement and performance. As a community of scholars, we seek to answer questions like:

• How does telecommuting affect workers’ sense of belonging?
• What are the undervalued leadership qualities needed for organizational innovation and success?
• What incentives motivate our workers to continuously improve?
• How do our everyday practices intersect with our political and socio-economic contexts?