The problem and the solution. Since the events of September 11, 2001, and Hurricane Katrina during the summer of 2005, the words crisis and disaster evoke images of families stranded on causeways turned islands, surrounded by what little property they could carry; houses smashed by killing winds; and skyscrapers crumbling out of the sky. Disastrous events, such as fires, tornadoes, hurricanes, terrorist incidents, and chemical spills, cause the loss of resources, destruction of property, financial hardship, and death. During these events, local, state, and federal governments commit large numbers of resources, time, and money to mitigate the consequences of the disaster.To manage the response to these events, leaders of public safety organizations and agencies such as fire and police departments, emergency medical services, and health-care organizations, public works departments, private industry, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) descend on the disaster site.These leaders are required to make high consequence decisions with incomplete or inaccurate information, ill-defined goals, and the pressures of time and a constantly changing situation by drawing on their training and experience. This article positions scenario planning and scenario-based training as two cutting-edge methods for organizational leaders to understand better their environments so as to avoid disastrous events and to put in place efficient and effective plans for coping if disaster should strike.
The problem and the solution. A gap is perceived to exist between scholars and practitioners that is continually exacerbated by failures to develop fully opportunities for collaboration. This article explores ways that through interpretation, scholar-practitioners may be able to bridge this gap between scholars and practitioners. The authors suggest ways in which scholar-practitioners can act to (a) improve collaboration between scholars and practitioners and (b) improve the dissemination of the knowledge created by and for scholars and practitioners.The article concludes by asserting that HRD has much to do to identify the innovative practices that truly help organizations it serves.The authors offer several areas of practice and research in which the aforementioned collaboration is needed to improve HRD as a whole. There is much to be done, but it starts with understanding each other.
In this chapter, the author presents a theoretical framework to better understand how individuals adapt to innovative technology used to support learning opportunities. This chapter begins with an overview of literature concerning technology acceptance, specifically centered on the seminal work of Venkatesh, Morris, Davis, and Davis (2003). This is followed by a discussion of three theoretical perspectives change that include Lewin's (1997, 1952) change model, Schein's (1996) adaptation of Lewin's model as it related to learning, and Roger's (2003) diffusion of innovation. Next, the chapter includes a discussion on the concept of digital personalities as framed by Prensky (2001b) and Palfrey and Gasser (2008) and how this concept may impact technology acceptance. The chapter concludes with a discussion of how these theoretical perspectives inform our understanding of technology acceptance.
The Problem We know much about who and what scholar-practitioners are, but we know little about how to develop individuals into scholar-practitioners. Given this, we need to move the conversation beyond descriptive attributes and expend time and effort to identify methods to cultivate these professionals. Doing so will help change the perception that there are theory-to-practice gaps and ultimately improve the strength and value of the human resource development field to other disciplines. The Solution This article is in response to Ruona and Gilley’s call for moving beyond bemoaning the theory-practice gap and starting providing constructive solutions to close it. Using two real-life cases for illustration, I present a strategy for cultivating individuals in applied fields into effective scholar-practitioners. The Stakeholders This article provides a potential path for trainers to integrate theory and research into practice, for faculty to incorporate practical contexts into educational opportunities, and for managers and organizations to adapt evidence-based solutions to a complex, rapidly changing environment.
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