Ghosh, R

Li, J

Nachmias, S

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A special issue on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on work, worker, and workplace!? Implications for HRD research and practices in time of crisis

Nottingham Trent Institutional Repository (IRep)

1  A special issue on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on work, worker, and workplace!? Implications for HRD research and practices in time of crisis   On 20 March 2020, grasping with the seriousness of the pandemic, we, the editorial team of HRDI, decided to write a joint editorial. Joint  editorial  only  happens  for  special occasions; the last time was for the twenty’s anniversary issue of the journal in 2017. While this time, it was not to celebrate a milestone of the Journal, but to respond to a pandemic that shocked the world. We felt strongly it was our responsibility to start a conversation with our readers, authors, reviewers, and peers so we could process and navigate a path forward together as a community. We were optimistic or tried to carry on an optimistic tone at the time (Li, Ghosh, and Nachmias 2020) by focusing on how to stay healthy and connected while be productive and keep learning at the same time. When we finished the editorial on April  1, the  situation had  become gloomier  especially  in  the western world of most developed economies, Italy, US, and UK for examples. We had to continue this discussion as to how HRD could address some of the issues emerged by the pandemic.  We  decided  to  call  for  a  special  issue  on  Human  Resource  Development (HRD) and COVID 19 and publish it as the very next issue. This decision was ambitious and risky: the two issues are only two months apart and it is in the middle of the biggest pandemic  of  our  lifetime,  in  addition  to  other  normal  humanly  obstacles,  such  as conflicting priorities, time commitment and work and life balance.  We decided to go for it. The decision was made on April 9. We drafted the call and strategized in the following two days. Of course, we worried if we would get sufficient responses,  so  we  strategized  our  approaches  by  sending  it  to  the  past  HRDI  editors, current board members, current AHRD and UFHRD leadership team first, and then the people whom we known to have worked on relevant topics. The call was sent out at late night  on  April  12,  we  got  three  confirmed  responses  the  very  next  day,  then  other confirmed responses started to come in until we reached 10 confirmed contributions. The rest is history. All of them had to overcome the warp of the lockdown due to the pandemic, and some had to take their family and friends to safety when peaceful protests turned violent in the US just as we were approaching the deadline for the submission. All of them submitted and we included all ten 2  contributions in this special issue. In addition to thanking our contributors for their impressive quality of work under such a short time constraint, we want to acknowledge them for their commitment to the HRD community. More than ever, the HRD community can have a positive impact upon future thinking through sharing common goals, attitudes and aspirations. Below we offer a brief glimpse of the articles in this special issue.  The paper by Monica Lee, the founding editor of HRDI, uses the concept of agnotology to examine the UK government’s actions throughout the Pandemic. With an auto- ethnographic  approach,  Monica  provides  a  detailed  account  and  walks  us  through a  timeline  of  actions  taken  by  the  UK  government,  the  underlining  reasons  for  such a decision and the impact/consequences of the decision. In doing so, she points out how agnotology has affected the decision-making process. Her paper lays the groundwork for us to think critically as human beings and a society, not just as an academic exercise, but as a reflection of our lived experiences, that if we cannot protect our vulnerable population, how we can claim to be a civilized society.  Laura Bierema’s work provides a critical assessment on how HRD scholars could offer a bold and critical research in times of uncertainty. It highlights the need to start this important conversation on HRD research and practices post COVID-19. The questions raised in this paper are pertinent and critical to stimulate the thinking of HRD researchers in the wake of this global pandemic. It is essential to pause and assess ‘normal’ life and work and utilize research to create a new ‘normal’ for individuals, organizations, com- munities and nations. Most interestingly, Laura, offers a critical assessment on how we can use critical research inquiry with emphasis on social justice, sustainability, effective leadership and community values. It is a great paper for the HRD community to help them undertake research with real impact.  The McGurie,  Cunningham,  Reynolds,  and  Matthews-Smith’s  paper examines  the crisis communication approach of Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand Prime Minister during the pandemic. ‘The values-centered approach by the New Zealand government saw the rejection of a herd immunity approach favored by other countries.’ ‘The combination of empathetic statements and actions with informal appeals for the community to “look after each other”, 3  generates a strong image of social solidarity, where each member of society has a role to play and sacrifice to make.’ It is such a stark contrast of what we have experienced in the US, the self-centred mentality promoted by the leadership, what about me: my freedom, my hair, my vacation  This paper underscores the importance of value-driven leadership, consistent and coherent communication in crisis management.  Khali  Dirani  and  colleagues  in  the  paper  titled  ‘Leadership  Competencies  and  the Essential  Role  of  Human  Resource  Development  in  Times  of  Crisis:  A  Response  to Covid-19 Pandemic’ offer an assessment on what leadership competencies are critical to respond under pressure and during times of uncertainty. Further, the paper under- scores  the  different  roles  (Sensemaking,  Technology  Enabler,  ensuring  Emotional Stability  and  Employee  Well-being,  develop  Innovative  Communication  techniques, maintain  Financial  Health  of  the  Organization)  that  HRD  professionals  can  play  to support  leaders  and  organizations  during  and  post  times  of  crisis.  The  authors  share cases of best practices of leadership in different contexts to substantiate their discussion about the role of leaders and HRD researchers and practitioners post a global crisis.  In  the  paper  by  Julie  Gedro  and  others,  titled  ‘Flattening  the  Learning  Curve  of Leadership   Development: Reflections of Five Women Higher Education Leaders During the Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020’, five women academic leaders of a public institution in the US share narratives of their lived experiences, challenges, and unique leadership practices to respond to the sudden changes brought by the pandemic. One of the leaders said ‘cultivating a sense of togetherness is an essential responsibility of those in a leadership role’. Creating a culture of self-care in a collegial and supportive virtual work environment is crucial for guarding against change fatigue and burnout.’ What an eloquent way to express what is truly needed in times of crisis and prepare for the upcoming recovery.  By presenting a strategic flexibility framework in the paper titled ‘Strategic Flexibility Analysis of HRD Research and Practice Post-COVID-19 Pandemic’, Robert Yawson challenged us to be proactive. He used four scenarios, changes in the meaning of work, leadership, contactless commerce & education, and volunteerism to explain how 4  the strategic flexibility framework can guide us in thinking through the steps of anticipate, formulate,  accumulate,  and  operate  as  we  plan  our  post-COVID-19  strategies  and actions.  In the paper titled ‘The Role of National HRD in the Era of Covid-19’, Gary McLean and Kate articulate the application of the different dimensions of NHRD very well to the current crisis. Through noting the key ways through which NHRD could have enabled countries  to  fight  the  pandemic,  such  as  planning,  leadership,  responsibility  charting, work re-design, systems thinking and network theory, the authors highlight the relevance of  NHRD  to  the  global  pandemic  crisis  at  multiple  levels.  In  doing  so,  they  provide examples  of  countries  with  most  highly  developed  NHRD  capacity  and  discuss  the intersection of NHRD with Critical HRD.  In the paper entitled ‘careers after COVID-19: Challenges and Changes’, Linda Hite and Kimberly McDonald assess the impact of the pandemic upon careers. This is a timely paper as it raises some pertinent and critical questions as to how the Covid-19 experience will  affect  the  future  of  careers.  For many,  change  in  career  is  inevitable  as  they experience shifts in the new virtual working environment. This critical paper addresses some of the immediate needs of the post-pandemic workforce through the critical lenses of career shock, resilience, and sustainable careers literature. It offers an evaluation on how workplaces will be configured, and how the future of some careers and the possibilities for new opportunities  will weigh heavily on individuals as they navigate these challenges. This includes an assessment of the individual and contextual factors affecting employees and their occupations moving forward.  Leadership competencies, HRD practice and India’s response to Covid-19 pandemic are key elements of the critical review paper titled ‘Redefining, Relooking, Redesigning, and Reincorporating HRD in the Post Covid-19 Context and Thereafter’. Pallv Arora and Divij  Suri  evaluate  how  various  industries  responded  to  the  virus  and  explain  how a number of leadership competencies might have a positive impact upon future actions. The work goes further and engages in a critical discussion on how organizations should respond to changes in the workplace across India and how leaders should address issues related  to  HRD.  Given  the  size  and  importance  of  the  Indian  economy,  this  paper provides  advice  on  various  aspects  of  international  HRD  and  reinforces  the  need  to 5  recognize  that  developing  a  more  agile  and  flexible  workforce  can  be  derived  from effective HRD strategies.  In the paper titled ‘A Digital Pedagogy Pivot: Re-thinking Higher Education Practice from an HRD perspective’, Valerie Anderson comments on the need to re-envision HE through  the  lens  of  HRD.  The  article  has  three  objectives:  first,  to  highlight  how pedagogy in HE is aligned with HRD knowledge base; second, identifying the pedagogic opportunities arising from the digital pivot; and third, recommending which HRD practices  can  facilitate  this  fast  adoption  of  digital  pedagogy/learning  in  HE.  In addressing  these  objectives,  this  paper  serves  the  provocative  purpose  of  advancing debate  about  the  relationship  between  HRD  and  HE  in  the  context  of  the  global pandemic.   In sum, this assortment of articles is meant to position our thinking as HRD researchers  and  practitioners  to  not  only  survive,  but  also  thrive  in  the  crisis  induced  by  the pandemic. As we conclude this Special Issue, we want to let you know that we always welcome ideas and discussions that help us cope, respond, prepare for the recovery, and plan for the future. 

http://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/40718/1/1361440_Nachmias2.pdf

A special issue on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on work, worker, and workplace!? Implications for HRD research and practices in time of crisis

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