Identifying HRD Value Perspectives held by HRD Professionals in the Rochester, New York area

In 200 1, the research team of Reid Bates, Chen Chih, and Time Hatcher conducted an international study with 84 members of the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) using a set of six HRD related values measures to assess the value perceptions of the members as they related to the HRD process. The goal of their study was to see if a more normative statement about what HRD is or should be could be created. In 2002, this study. which replicates the 2001 international study, was conducted to determine if (a) the underlying values of HRD professionals in the Rochester, New York area are similar to the values of individuals who completed the 2001 study and (b) can a quantifiable description of how Rochester. NY HRD professionals perceive the HRD process be identified? A target population of HRD professionals (practitioners, scholars, and academicians in the HRD field) was identified for this study. The sample was randomly selected for the study and consisted of 18 participants living within the greater Rochester, NY area who represented a mix of male and females with various years of education, experience, and job classifications within the HRD profession. Participants were asked to complete a web-based survey of 150 questions using a seven-point Likert-scale with anchors ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (Strongly agree). The results were analyzed using general descriptive statistics, scale intercorrelations, two sample t tests, and simple ranking of means. Results indicate several differences between the 2 studies. Rochester area HRD professionals rank the performance values as most important while the international group ranked learning values as the most important. Both groups view the values of performance, learning, and meaning (the domains measured) in different ways. Some similarity between the groups is seen. Both group participants who felt that learning was a high priority value also felt that meaning was a priority value