Oceans and notions apart: an analysis of the U.S. and European human resource development literature

A systematic content analysis of the human resource development (HRD) research published between 1990-2003 in prominent organization studies and HRD journals revealed notable differences in the underlying orientations and methodological approaches across the U.S. and Europe. The U.S. literature, in comparison to Europe, was observed to be more practice-oriented as reflected in a more prescriptive and less critical approach to the study of HRD. In terms of science orientation, the U.S. literature was characterized to be more nomothetic and universalistic. While a subtle tendency towards becoming more prescriptive emerged in the U.S., over time the European literature had become less practice-oriented and more empiricist, although the latter trend did not reflect itself in the quantity but quality of quantitative research.