Human Potential Development: A New HRD Model for Turbulent Times

Conventional human resource development (HRD) programs focus mainly on improving employees' hard skills comprising of job-specific knowledge, skills, tools, and processes, while minimal emphasis is placed on developing their intuitive, attitudinal, behavioral, and interpersonal soft skills, which are essential for sustaining organizational success in today's unpredictable world. This conceptual paper presents a new model for HRD based on human potential development (HPD) for unleashing the vast inborn mental and physical power lying mostly dormant within every employee at every level. HPD aims to create an employee-driven, organization-wide, and everyday business innovation ideology that can sustain success even under difficult operating conditions. HPD programs draw on diverse sources such as behavioral psychology, neuroscience, oriental martial arts, and Himalayan energy techniques for energizing and empowering employees at all levels. A foundation underlying HPD programs is provided by the wisdom-skills matrix, where developing wisdom (knowing what to do next) and skills (knowing how to do it) are considered the two key ingredients of individual and organizational success in an increasingly turbulent world. A mechanism for conceptualizing and developing wisdom and skills is provided by the five dimensional model of success and leadership, which is summarized and symbolized by heart (emotional intelligence), mind (analytical and intuitive intelligence), passion (energy that fuels high levels of performance), focus (reaching goals despite setbacks), and health (immunity from stress and illness).