Practitioners in Applied Professions: A Model Applied to Human Resource Development

Abstract

The problem and the solution. There’s no doubt that the theory—practice gap exists in HRD and in most applied professions. However, it is time to move beyond belaboring this gap and toward figuring out specific ways to lessen it.We need new models on which to build.This article offers just such a model—a way to conceive of the different ways that practitioners utilize and contribute to the scholarship of HRD. The model outlines four distinct types of practice and the characteristics of these different types of practitioners. Implications for professional development and professionalization of individuals in HRD, as well as the field of HRD itself, are discussed.