The HRD subsystem
It is difficult to find an article about HRD without at least some reference to linking HRD to the organization ( for example, Gill 1995 ). It has become almost axiomatic that if HRD in to develop into a respected and useful plarer in organizations, then it will need to position itself as a strategically important pratner. HRD will need to assume the same level of importance as the traditional core organizational processes: finance, production, and marketing ( Torraco and swanoson, 1995 ).
What are the goals of the organizations with which HRD is to become strategically aligned? As mentioned, ultimatery they are survival, return-oninvestment, and even growth. More important for HRD, however, are the goals one step removed from these, includion producing high-quality goods or services, being the market leader, or having the most highly skilled workforce. Each of these second-order goals serves a singular purpose: to maximize return. The implications of each for the subsystems responsible for carrying them out, however, are more specific and concrete. For example, fi it is assumed that the production of high-quality goods is an organizational goal, then production needs to focus on svstems and processes thatproduce quality, marketing needs to focus on systems and processes that communicate quality, and finance needs to focus on systems and processes that ensure quality is supported. And of course, HRD needs to focus on systems and processes that ensure that the individuals in the organization have the knowledge, expertise, and attitudes to produce quality.
Performance is defined as the dependent variable in the from of organizational. Work process, or individual contributor outputs of productivity. Using this definition, performance is the means by ehich organizations achieve goals. Performance can be measured in many ways. Rate of return, cycle time, and quality of output are three such possibilities. Performance takes place and can be measured at the organizational, process, and individual levels.
If HRD should be aligned with the goals of the organization, and performance is the primary means by which the goals and strategies of organizations are realized, then if follows that HRD should be primarily concerned with improving performance at the organization, process, and individual levels. If HRD is to be a value-added activity of the firm, instead of a line item of cost is to be controlled and minimized, thin HRD practitioners need to be concerned performance and how it enables organizations to achieve their goals.