This book assesses the competitive strengths and weaknesses of the management practices of North American companies. It undertakes four tasks: (1) compilation and analysis of the results of "Laborforce 2000," an intensive survey of the human resource strategies of more than 400 Conference Board member companies; (2) examination of practices across…

Recent trends indicate increased interest in the education and training of the labor force. However, information in the extent of on-the-job training (OJT) is complicated by conceptual difficulties, such as the informal nature of much OJT, lack of reliable cost data on formal training, and the fact that many studies based on stratified samples…

A study was conducted to explore skills and work-related dispositions in technical work. It used a sociocultural approach to examine skills in seven target jobs in worksites representing diverse industries--health care, traffic management, transportation, and semiconductor manufacturing. It explored employers' strategies for obtaining the skills…

The value of education in the workplace is becoming more evident as businesses face the challenges of the 20th century. Teaching and learning will become even more important for corporate success. If corporations are to be more productive, then one must change the way corporations and the people in them are viewed. Employees can no longer be…

These four papers are from a symposium on instructional strategies that was facilitated by Joseph Kessels at the 1995 Academy of Human Resource Development (HRD) conference. "Developing Supervisory Expertise: The Effects of an Inductive versus a Deductive Training Method on the Job Behaviors of Supervisors" (Margaret C. Lohman) discusses…

These five papers are from a symposium on high involvement work teams that was facilitated by Catherine M. Sleezer at the 1995 Academy of Human Resource Development (HRD) conference. "An Empirical Study of Employee Involvement in Designing and Managing Reward Systems" (William M. Kahnweiler) reports on a study of 300 organizations that…

An economic theory of training holds that training in technical skills and training in employment relations (namely, information reliability or the ability to quickly and reliably disseminate information among the members of the firm) reinforce each other. This theory is an organizing framework for understanding some practices at Japanese firms in…

These two papers were presented at a "town forum" on human resource development (HRD) moderated by Martin Mulder at the 1996 Academy of Human Resource Development Conference. "Human Resource Development with Integrity" (Ronald L. Jacobs) reflects on the conference theme and offers two definitions of integrity as applied to HRD. The second paper,…

These five papers are from a symposium facilitated by Ronald L. Jacobs on financial analysis of human resource development (HRD) at the 1995 Academy of Human Resource Development conference. "Return on Investment--Beyond the Four Levels!" (Jack J. Phillips) offers a modification of the Kirkpatrick model of evaluation for HRD in…

These four papers are from a symposium facilitated by Gene Roth on research centers at the 1995 Academy of Human Resource Development (HRD) conference. "Research: The Thin Blue Line between Rigor and Reality" (Michael Leimbach) discusses the need for HRD research to increase its speed and rigor and help organizations focus on capability…

These three papers were presented at a symposium on evaluation issues on human resource development (HRD) moderated by Hallie Preskill at the 1996 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development. "Designing an Effective 360-Degree Appraisal Feedback Process" (David Antonioni) presents a conceptual model for a 360-degree appraisal feedback…

These three papers were presented at a symposium on high-involvement work teams moderated by Michael Leimbach at the 1996 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development. "Beyond Training to the New Learning Environment: Workers on the High-Involvement Frontline" (Joseph Anthony Ilacqua, Carol Ann Zulauf) shows the link between…

These two papers were presented at a symposium on instructional technology in human resource development (HRD) moderated by Mark Lewis at the 1996 conference of the Academy of Human Resource Development. "An Analysis of the Instructional Technology Competencies Required by HRD Practitioners and Sources of Competency Development" (Julie…

U.S. business and government are managing an increasingly heterogeneous work force. Between 1985 and 2000, white females, nonwhites, and immigrants are projected to represent 88 percent of new workers. Approximately 4 million new immigrant workers will join the work force during the next 10 years. Therefore, it is imperative that employers…

This study addresses the issue of how new forms of work organization (NFWO) are affecting job skill requirements. Practices such as job rotation, problem-solving teams and self-directed workgroups are thought to increase job skill requirements because they tend to broaden job responsibilities. The study uses the 1999 and 2000 waves of the…