Review related to the HRD conference in Leeds 2005
Edited by Sabine Manning,  Research Forum WIFO Berlin

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[Introduction]  [Discussion] [Examples of themes]  [References]

Introduction

A major aim of the HRD conferences, initiated in 2000 by the UFHRD in the UK, has been to involve experts from continental Europe. Contributions from a growing number of European countries have been presented and discussed at these annual events. Altogether, more than a third of all papers are related to continental Europe, addressing issues of a broad thematic spectrum linking HRD and vocational education and training (VET). 

Examples of continental themes (total 31 from 15 countries) presented at the more recent conferences (2003 to 2005) have been compiled for these proceedings, including outlines of the papers and related discussion. These examples are intended to reflect the variety of themes addressed in the national presentations, particularly with regard to the spectrum of HRD and VET research and the range of issues identifies in the countries concerned. For each country and Europe as a group, up to three recent papers have been chosen to illustrate this variety. The discussion of selected issues included in these proceedings was recorded at the HRD Conference in Leeds 2005. 

Discussion

Selected issues of discussion (related to presentations at Leeds 2005, included in the examples compiled below):

• European credit transfer system (Hedley Malloch, Barry Nyhan, John P. Wilson, Jonathan Winterton)
• HRD in France, Germany and the UK (Maria Cseh, Béla Kriszián, Hedley Malloch, Sabine Manning, Sandra Watson)
• HRD in Hungary / Regional development in Hungary (Wilfried Admiraal, Maria Cseh, Magdolna Benke, Béla Kriszián, Hedley Malloch, Regina Mulder, Zsolt Nemeskéri)
• Company training in the Netherlands (Sabine Manning, Derk-Jan J.M. Nijman, Teresa M. Palmer, David Silbergh)

The themes of contributions from continental Europe are arranged in alphabetical order by country (starting with 'Europe') and first author. The total number of respective papers by country collected throughout the six conferences (2000 to 2005) is indicated in brackets. The outlines added as links are based on the abstracts of the papers (see below > References). The discussions, highlighted in bold, have been reproduced from recordings made at the sessions concerned (see contributions to Europe, France, Hungary and the Netherlands).

Europe (total 9) 

• Devi Jankowicz ‘Do they do HRD in the Post-Command Economies? The measurement of meaning transfer across cultural boundaries’ 2004 [Outline]
• Barry Nyhan 'Making sense of European work and learning cultures' 2004 [Outline]
• Jonathan Winterton 'Progress towards a European credit transfer system for VET' 2005 [Outline] [Discussion]

• Tineke Cappellen, Maddy Janssens & Patrizia Zanoni 'Successful female expatriates: deploying gender, hierarchy and culture' 2004 [Outline]

• Paul Iles, Maurice Yolles & Doug Haynes 'International HRD alliances: facilitating change through ‘high variety’ knowledge migration in Bulgaria' 2005 [Outline]

• Asmund W Born & Per Darmer 'In search for the authentic human in HRM' 2004 [Outline]
• Pia Bramming 'The one and the many: contemplating conceptions of individual and organisation in relation to human resource practices' 2004 [Outline]

• Krista Loogma 'Workplace learning and competences: different contexts and different meanings in the case of a transition economy' 2003 [Outline]
• Christopher J Rees, Jane Järvalt & Beverly Metcalfe 'Career management in transition: HRD themes from the Estonian civil service' 2004 [Outline]

• Satu Lähteenmäki & Maarit Viljanen 'Key questions on HRM transferability across national borders' 2004 [Outline]
• Essi Saru 'Organisational learning and strategic HRD – how are they valuable for small firms?' 2005 [Outline]

• Hedley Malloch, Birgit Kleymann, Jacques Angot & Tom Redman 'Les Compagnons de Devoir: the emergent lessons for HRD' 2005 [Outline] [Discussion]
• Sylvie-Anne Mériot 'Identifying the value to be addressed: Escoffier vs. Cafeterias' 2005 [Outline]
• Amadine Weil & Jean Woodall 'HRD in France: the corporate perspective' 2004 [Outline]

• Hans-Werner Franz 'Doing by learning – an integrated approach to middle management training' 2004 [Outline]
• Eileen Lübcke 'Cultural communication patterns in heterogeneous virtual teams' 2004 [Outline]

• Niki Kyriakidou 'Graduate employment in the Greek labour market' 2005 [Outline]

• Magdolna Benke 'The regional dimension within education, lifelong learning and continuing professional development' 2005 [Outline] [Discussion]
• Maria Cseh, Béla Krisztián & Zsolt Nemeskéri 'HRD education in Hungary' 2005 [Outline] [Discussion]

• Derk-Jan J M Nijman, Wim J Nijhof, Ida Wognum & Bernard P Veldkamp 'Differential effects of supervisor support on transfer of training' 2005 [Outline] [Discussion]
• Rob F Poell, Marjolein G M C Berings & Ferd van der Krogt 'Tailoring learning programmes to everyday employee learning: customisation strategies of HRD practitioners in health care' 2004 [Outline]
• Ida Wognum, Bernard Veldkamp, Andries de Grip & Inge Sieben 'Competence development in SME’s in general and in pharmacies in particular' 2004 [Outline]

• Leif C Lahn 'Competence development in late career: a European perspective' 2003 [Outline]
• Tarja Tikkanen 'Reconciling learning, human resource development and well being in the workplace' 2004 [Outline]

• Mariusz Bratnicki, Wojciech Dudych & Monika Kulikowska 'New perspective on entrepreneurial learning and its relations with social capital and performance' 2005 [Outline]
• Anna Kubczak 'Organisational social capital and human resource management practices in Polish enterprises' 2004 [Outline]
• Beata Pawlowska 'The role of HRD in motivation creation processes using the example of a network marketing organisation' 2004 [Outline]

• Janet Firth & Dan Nichita 'A case study analysis of an organisations strategic HR approach to integration into the EU: the Romanian border police' 2004 [Outline]

• Rosalía Cascón-Pereira & Mireia Valverde ‘Variety is the spice of life … but is it so in HRD? A discussion on the convenience of defining the discipline' 2004 [Outline]
• Antonia Garcia-Cabrera, M del Pino Medina-Brito & Silvia Sosa Cabrera 'Is corporate culture a mechanism facilitating conflict management in multicultural teams?' 2004 [Outline]

• Enver Özkalp, Çigdem Kirel, Zerrin Sungur & Aytül Ayse Cengiz 'The importance of mentoring on organizational socialization of the university research assistants in Anadolu University' 2005 [Outline]

European HRD conferences 2000 to 2004:

First conference on HRD research and practice across Europe. London: Kingston Business School, 15 January 2000. Conference chair: Jean Woodall. Conference papers (ISBN 1-872058-67-1).

Second conference on HRD research and practice across Europe: Perspectives on learning at the workplace - theoretical positions, organisational factors, learning processes and effects. Enschede: University of Twente,  26-27 January 2001. Conference chair: Jan Streumer.  Proceedings (ISBN 90 365 15483).

Third conference on human resource development research and practice across Europe: Creativity and innovation in learning. Edinburgh 25-26 January 2002. Conference chair: Sandra Watson. CD-ROM with papers.

Fourth conference on human resource development research and practice across Europe: Lifelong learning for a knowledge based society. Toulouse 23-24 May 2003. Conference chairs: Jonathan Winterton & Jean Woodall. CD-ROM with papers.

Fifth international conference on human resource development research and practice across Europe: International, comparative and cross-cultural dimensions of HRD. Limerick 27-28 May 2004. Conference chair: Thomas Garavan. Volume of abstracts (ISBN 0-9547357-2-2). CD-ROM with papers.

Sixth international conference on HRD research and practice across Europe: Human resource development - addressing the value. Leeds 25-27 May 2005. Conference chair: Rick Holden. Volume of abstracts (ISBN 0-9549174-2-1). CD-ROM with papers.