The problem and the solution. Virtual human resource development (VHRD) is just beginning to be defined in the field of human resource development. This article explores how knowledge management, organizational culture, and intranets combine to create VHRD, with implications for training, career, and organizational development. A conclusion is that VHRD is not a panacea but must be designed with care and purpose.

This article explores the ecology of virtual human resource development (VHRD). It argues VHRD can be conceptualized as a subset of Virtual HR, and thus, requires strategic integration, adaptation, and attention to the interrelations within the system to promote a healthy ecology. VHRD is a powerful combination of people and technology, presenting not only opportunities for learning and innovation but also the need for critique. VHRD is driving a paradigm shift in the field of HRD, necessitating new skills, policies, and new theories that explain phenomena in virtual environments.

The Problem. Initial explorations of virtual human resource development (VHRD) were published in the 12(6) issue of Advances, but these articles were only an initial step toward conceptualization. New perspectives on VHRD have developed over the past 4 years, particularly about human resource development's (HRD) role in the development of new technology. The Solution. This article provides a brief overview of existing published literature on VHRD, offers new conceptualizations of HRD's role with technology development, and introduces the articles in this issue that advance their own new perspectives. This article argues that HRD must adopt new skills and develop explanatory models for growing organizational learning capacity in virtual work. The Stakeholders. This article is of interest to practitioners and managers who lead technology projects and work within technology-enabled professional environments, as well as scholars interested in studying VHRD.A major change in how many organizations regard technology was described as moving away from a limited view of technology as a physical artifact with its own independent realm of action, and moving toward a systems-centered view that allows