MAPPING THE DIMENSIONS OF HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT: A SCOPING REVIEW

Human Resource Development (HRD) is a precondition of economic growth, political stability and social sustainability. HRD intervention may facilitate achieving high-performance standards at individual, organizational, national, and international echelon. The paper is designed to explore and catalog different dimensions and variables of HRD through a critical review of existing literature. Hence, the opinion of HRD experts was collected through focus group discussion and face to face interview to authenticate the explored variables of HRD. The study has explored different dimensions and variables of HRD with regard to inputs, objectives, interventions, outputs, outcomes, and beneficiaries of HRD comprehensively by using the scoping review technique. The study has contributed to the existing body of knowledge by providing a new definition of HRD and presenting its different dimensions systematically. There is an immense scope to develop further knowledge on HRD if the empirical validity of the HRD variables is investigated comprehensively.


INTRODUCTION
Human resource is the prime element behind all organizations, nations, and society's growth and prosperity. It is the only renewable and sustainable resource available to a nation and indisputably the first and the major precondition for individual success and collaborative development (Saeed & Batool, 2004). The concept of Human Resource Development (HRD) has been the most vital issue to shape development strategies worldwide (Bikas & Sanyal, 1992). It has become an ideology of transforming humans into productive production input. It is also the most potent propeller of a country's economic growth and social development (Ather & Solaiman, 1995). HRD endeavors to develop human potentials through several interventions to meet organizational objectives like productivity & profitability and, at the same time, facilitates achieving national strategic needs like the welfare of people and socio-economic mobility.
It converts raw human beings into an effective element of production and at the fundamental level, creating value for socio-economic benefits. The concept of HRD is to create a framework that facilitates human resources to discover the potentials to achieve their best in life (Rao, 2000). It is a holistic approach and a hybrid process of creating an environment to search, stimulate, and shape the human potentials to facilitate productivity and growth commonly in all socioeconomic development interventions. Human resource development ensures the people's long and healthy lives at the minimum level, making them knowledgeable in a real sense, giving entrance to the wealth, standard lifestyle, and social life (Pande et al., 2006). HRD is an endeavor to shift human productivity from obsolesces to effectiveness and its interventions transform hard work into smart work.
Commonly, HRD is a hybrid process of systematizing, categorizing, and developing a physical and intellectual ability if an individual (Huda, Karim & Ahmed, 2007). HRD fastens the human development interventions related to human competency enhancement through education, training programs, empowering people at the grassroots, promoting consciousness, formalizing teamwork, social capital development, change management, and other human capital management functions (Khan, Khan & Mahmood, 2012). Traditional HRD concerns developing people intending to intensify the financial strength and, consequently, a nation's prosperity likened with socio-economic sustainability. Usually, the concept of Human development and Human resource development is somewhat linked with each other, and fundamentally, all HRD interventions are used to develop human productivity by developing their competency (knowledge, skill, and human behavior).
HRD is undoubtedly a fascinating subject, but at the same time, it is a confusing subject because the dimension of HRD is vast and integrative (Arya & Tandon, 1998). It is surely an enthralling field of research, as several scopes of HRD have to be considered. As a subject, HRD is interdisciplinary and blends many topics of social sciences, public administration, and general management (Jayagopal, 1990). HRD concepts are discussed from many angles by different authors, and the contents are scattered. According to McGoldrick, Stewart and Watson (2001), HRD concepts are still confusing as there are limitations of sufficient empirical research. The knowledge of HRD is fragmented and not built in a comprehensive shape. This study endeavors a systematic indepth analysis to categorize the dimensions and variables of HRD and presented them systematically to facilitate further research work and also enriching the existing body of knowledge.

OBJECTIVE
The main objective of this study is to diagnose the concepts of HRD to discover and categorize its different dimensions and variables in a systematic way.

LITERATURE REVIEW
HRD is a process to unlock the door to modernization (Abdullah, 2009). It is the core thought of economic development that intervenes in different ways and dimensions to convert humans as resources (Sen, 2007). HRD is the key to economic progress in the era of digitalization, and there is a strong linkage between HRD and economic development (Briggs, 1987). The current wave of development in the new millennium, like the challenges of economic liberalization and globalization, has bought several opportunities for the nations and organizations to dominate in the world economy (Huda, 2020). HRD interventions may help to seize those opportunities and assist in surviving the threats. Though HRD is an essential economic development program through human capability development, most of the time, the initiative is wasted by the curse of unemployment, obsolesce of skills, lack of work opportunities, and hurdles of adjusting change (Green Berg & Baron, 1997).
According to some recent literature by McLean & McLean (2001); Harrison & Kessels (2004); Hamlin 2004, and many others, HRD is considered as a process. On the other hand, Nadler (1970); Hamlin (2004); Werner & DeSimone (2006), and many scholars coined it is a systematic activity or program. Nadler and Wiggs (1986); Harrison & Kessels (2004); Watkins (2000) and others thought it is a comprehensive learning system. Hence, most of the HRD philosophers like Garavan (1991); Harbison & Myers (1964); McLean & McLean (2001) have universally agreed that knowledge, skill, and behavioral development are the critical inputs of HRD. Some researchers like Kuchinke (2003); Werner & DeSimone (2006), added competency as a factor of HRD, and Watkins (2000) had discussed workability as an essential variable and emphasized on learning.
HRD initiatives facilitate the human capital development of a nation and help achieve success from an individual level to global. In the beginning, HRD was practiced mostly in corporate organizations. However, the growing interest of this discipline has explored beyond global development issues and has acknowledged the significance of acquiring advanced knowledge, skills, and competencies to achieve collective success (Kuchinke, 2003). Hence, a skilled workforce acts as the prime mover of knowledge-based economic growth at the macro and microeconomic level of HRD (Mezei & Fodor, 2012). According to Tariq Khan (2013), HRD interventions are not limited to education, training, and capacity building programs but also have many other dimensions. It also includes health care, psychological/mental satisfaction (self-respect, incentives, job protection, better working condition, good salary, etc.). Therefore, the discipline of HRD has extended far from the traditional context of training & development activities by an organization and includes the notion of strategic management, individual development, team learning, career assistance, and promoting the intellectual capital (Cunliffe & Easterby-Smith, 2004;Walton, 1996). HRD covers planned activities and processes intending to improve organizational learning practices to increase human performance, maximize system effectiveness and leading sustainable change management (Hamlin, 2004).
According to Rawat (2008), HRD programs provide continuous support to the employees to obtain the necessary expertise, facilitate developing a performance-oriented organizational culture, and foster an employee's creative & innovation skills. Interventions of HRD aid a workforce with state-of-art capabilities in achieving an enterprise's strategic objectives (Rawat, 2008). According to McLean et al. (2012), the foundation of HRD was primarily laid on organizational set-up. First, it was materialized in the American corporate culture to respond to global challenges. Later, the concept of HRD embarked on the common interest of human development as a whole at the community, national, and international stage. Kim (2012) ;Metcalfe, (2011); Tome´ E. (2011) also sated the same in their articles. Devadas, Silong & Krauss (2011) have stated the potentiality of Modern Human Resource Development Practice to deal with the challenges of the new millennium. However, it is widely accepted by the renowned corporate as they have identified its significance in the holistic development of an organization (Rawat, 2008). The practice of HRD at the organizational level is considered as micro HRD (Tregaskis, Heraty & Morley, 2001). It includes the following functions like employee development and interventions through training, skill upgradations, employee adaptation programs, performance management, behavioral interventions, organizational development interventions, change management activities, implementing quality of working life and work-life balancing, etc. For encountering the new millennium challenges, HRD actions will mostly involve the areas of human capacity development of the future workforce to attain new job assignments (Ford, 1993).
McLean & Jiantreerangkoo (2020) had coined that the functions of HRD are applicable both at micro and macroeconomic stratum. However, it is concerned with the human development of grass-root-level employees at the micro-level, and macro HRD initiatives work for the common people in a country (Rao, 2000). The implication of HRD is staged at multiple levels like the individual, organizational, sectoral, national, transnational, and global (Wang & Swanson 2008). According to Rawat (2008), HRD is commonly linked with the growth of a nation, but macro HRD is not a widely accepted practice like micro HRD, as practiced at the organizational level. According to Abdullah (2009), there are three classes of HRD, economic, political, and cultural. The economic term of HRD is to invest in human capital development, and the political term is to promote democracy. Moreover, the cultural dimension of HRD is to ensure richer lives to the people at large (Bates, Chih Chen & Hatcher, 2002). National Human Resource Development (NHRD) works on strategy development areas, including national skill development, occupational training, management development initiatives, formal & vocational education systems, and evaluation of such programs at the national level (Alagaraja, 2012).National level HRD activities ensure human development indicators like increasing life expectancy, making a country free from all the dimensions of poverty, developing social capital, and social harmony (Collins, Zarestky & Tkachenko, 2017). According to Alagaraja & Githens (2016), NHRD interventions are mostly associated with ensuring a people's welfare of a country where the government involves developing people's health status, and professional competencies of the working communities are helping to ensure the collective national growth. However, at the time of measuring the growth of gross national income and gross national product, NHRD also considers the dimensions like individual talent, social behavior attitudes, competency, personal ambition, and intellectuality (Rawat, 2008).
The HRD interventions applied to a broader perspective, mainly to the government or state level, are called Macro HRD (Senapaty, 2010). However, Wang & Swanson (2008) mentioned that macro-level HRD or NHRD theories are not developed based on economic and systems theory. Byrd & Demps (2006) also studied the concepts of NHRD by interviewing a couple of NHRD scholars and practitioners. The study suggested developing a partnership between HRD professionals and government machinery to develop human expertise and knowledge that brings the collective social and economic growth for the organizations, communities, nations, and societies. Hence, NHRD is also a process of developing knowledge, skills, and capacities of the people in a society (Harbison and Myers, 1964).
NHRD has been gestated as a notion of HRD to work on national policy issues (Cho and McLean, 2004). Macro-level HRD concerns labor policy formulation and development of the state of Industrial relations (Lashley & Watson, (1999). Macro HRD or NHRD is responsible for developing citizens with the necessary skills and competence for productive work. According to McLean (2004), HRD at the national level is not only an endeavor to reduce the unemployment rate and labor management. Hence, it is a necessary intervention to ensure human welfare like health, cultural development, workers' safety, community development, and other human development activities beyond traditional human resource planning or investment in human capital development. McLean (2006) had stated about the inconceivable disparity of the world, like distribution of wealth, access to education, equal employment opportunities, access to primary health care, use of modern technology, advanced infrastructures, individual safety, and other factors that contribute to the human well-being. Therefore, a pathway should be mapped to minimize these inequalities by creating an effective collaboration among the citizens, practitioners, and researchers under the broader framework of NHRD.
Ali (2005) and Ali (2008) had focused on the HRD challenges of Asian countries. They have prioritized creative skill development programs by developing primary and secondary education curricula, upgrading the educational workforce, improving on-the-job training facilities, expanding scientific and technological development, and upgrading skills in the service sector. Liu & Wall (2005) discusses the same NHRD interventions, i.e., education and training, in developing the tourism sector of China. Sarbabidya & Huda (2004) had identified an apparent interrelation between NHRD and social development issues. They have tried to justify the contribution of NHRD in ensuring the real development of society, and the indicators of social development are poverty freeness, financial empowerment, good health, status equity, discrimination freeness, economic development, good management, etc. Hence, Saeed & Batool (2004) emphasized on intellectual property development as a critical input of NHRD to encounter global economic challenges in this knowledge era.
NHRD is an essential strategy for economic and social progress that maximizes human potentials by enhancing an individual's physical, social, and mental capabilities and promoting socioeconomic progress (Kashem & Guha, 2000). Ather & Solaiman (1995) identified the stakeholders of NHRD starting from family, primary & secondary schools, institutions, colleges & universities, NGOs, private, vocational, and technical training centers, banking, commercial and industrial organizations, and finally, the government at the top. Alagaraja (2012) had tried to examine the concepts of NHRD, and the results of his study predict that the demand for unskilled workforce would decline gradually. However, a skilled national labor force will determine the competitive position in the global marketplace in the near future.
MacLean (2004), coined that the function HRD goes beyond the corporate limits and incorporates the society, nations, regions, and the citizens of the global community, accommodating the variances in cultural values, political ideologies, and economic systems. The study of Ahn & Mclean (2006) suggested extending the NHRD program by developing a regional integration of innovation systems among the countries in a specific geographical area through the Regional Human Resource Development (RHRD) program to strengthen regional development. According to Baek (2002), RHRD interventions consist of all the endeavors of the regional agencies to gain efficiency in all types of territorial development activities. It mainly ensures effective management and utilization of the regional workforce to maximize the quality of life, regional cooperation, and competitiveness. Metcalfe & Rees (2005) tried to theorize the emerging concepts of International HRD (IHRD). They tried to study the challenges of globalization and emphasized the importance of understanding the global HRD system by realizing the necessity of learning global cultural, demographic, and geographic differences to extend the knowledge of HRD beyond national limits. Hamlin & Stewart (2011) have mentioned that IHRD should be an integrated and collective effort. It should be practiced by commercial enterprises, nonprofit development organizations, and state agencies for the systematic development of cross-national human recourses to developing an alliance for regional development. Many international development organizations recommend that regional human resource development (RHRD) strengthen the collective human development program in a specific geographical region (Kang, 2002).
The summary of the literature review exhibits HRD as a systematic process or an organized intervention for creating an opportunity to improve knowledge, skill, and attitude of human recourses through the systematic intervention of formal and informal training & development program, education, health, technology, and infrastructure development to achieve individual, organizational, societal, national, regional, or international goals and strategies. However, it is quite evident from the literature review that HRD is a vast discipline that needs to be studied systematically, categorizing its contents in an orderly manner, which is somewhat missing in the current research work. This study will bridge the gap by exploring dimensions and critical variables of HRD to facilitate further research by enriching the existing body of knowledge.

METHODOLOGY
The author has adopted a subjective ontology and assumed a narrative epistemology and methodology to attain the research objectives. This is a qualitative study, and the necessary information and secondary data have been decisively compiled from previously published relevant research journals and reference books. The scoping review technique is applied to project a broader insight of HRD for mapping its key concepts, theories, and practices. This technique of literature review is suggested by many research scholars" like Colquhoun et al. (2014); Peters (2015); Gunnarsson (2020), which allows a researcher to unite different concepts of a particular field of study and helps to summarize the results of the study using tables, charts or info-graphic presentations. Complying with the technique mentioned above, the researcher had accumulated different variables of HRD irrespective of the country and field of study.
HRD is a relatively new discipline (Swanson, Holton & Holton, 2001), and the modern concepts of this field of study mostly emerged during the last few decennia of the 20th century (Sarfin, 2017). Therefore, articles, books, and research monographs, mostly published from 1964 to 2020, were considered for review. One hundred research articles were selected for the literature review, and around 70 percent of the literature was qualitative. Most of the studies were conducted in developed countries, i.e., the USA and the UK. However, the author also considered the research conducted in developing nations like China, India, and Bangladesh.
At the second stage of the study, the sorted variables of HRD were verified through a judgmental opinion collected through a homogenous focus group discussion session with the Human Resource Management faculty members of different universities located in Bangladesh. This session was held in the departmental seminar room and lasted for three hours. A common criterion was used where any variable was considered relevant, whichever has got four out of five votes in the group. Besides, qualitative data were obtained through face-to-face in-depth interviews with the industry experts to validate the earlier findings. In-depth interview sessions were organized with three HRD scholars and three managers of Multi-National Corporations who have long experience working with the human resources department. Each session lasted for two hours, and the comments of the experts' were recorded in audiotapes. The results of the study are presented in tables and visually communicable figures using Microsoft Word SmartArt tools.

DISCUSSIONS
From the study, the dimensions and variables of HRD have been revealed. Initially, the dimension of HRD objective is identified, followed by the operational level and the key stakeholders or beneficiaries of HRD, the HRD inputs, process/interventions, outputs, and outcomes of HRD. However, the critical variables of the dimensions are listed in the table with sources.

Definition of HRD
The study defined HRD as an intelligent practice and a hybrid process of transforming human as a resourceful utility, targeting the individual, organizational, and the global development at large, through necessary social, technological, structural, and policy interventions at different operational hierarchy to achieve productivity, profitability, and sustainability. The objectives of HRD (table 1) are to ensure holistic human development, which gives a compound result to enact and accomplish the vision, mission, and strategies of an organization, nation, and region. Most of the authors agreed that micro HRD is for individual and organizational development. Hence, the outcome of HRD also increases the productivity and profitability of an organization and fosters national economic growth. Besides, HRD programs also bring about social, cultural, and political stability and enrich international relations among the countries and national alliances. However, the core objectives of HRD could be the following.

Physical and Mental Development:
Genetic and psychological development of humans improves health condition, ensures a hygienic environment, foster educational development through schooling or institutional education, and good sociopolitical life. The absence of this objective will impede physical and mental growth, leading to low productivity and will create social destructions like some African countries. This HRD objective will be achieved through human development interventions set by a country or world communities like World Health Organization, The United Nations Children's Fund, World Food Program, etc.

Skill Development:
Knowledge, skill, and attitudinal development of humans can be achieved by facilitating professional education, technical training, career development, employment & entrepreneurship development program, etc. It increases national productivity, sound socio-economic development, and political stability. This objective can also be achieved through professional and career development interventions set by national policymakers, employers, professional bodies, and academic institutions.

Moral and Ethical Development:
Individual character development program ensures devotion for national development, patriotism, and moral behavior. It is an essential part of HRD that creates the difference between developed and underdeveloped nations. Lack of moral learning leads to social, political, and economic breakdown, and event the nation, which is abundant with natural and human resources, have to face the same consequences. A morally developed nation is a developed and great nation in the modern age, and honesty, decency, integrity, patriotism, etc. are the intangible asset for the development at all stages of a country. The ethical mindset can bring economic, social, and political stability, leading to global peace, happiness, and prosperity. The developmental gap among the nations is the gap of moral behavior among the citizens of those nations. This objective can be achieved through good governance and citizenship development interventions set by national policymakers, employers, professional bodies, and academic institutions.

Operational hierarchy of HRD
From the operational point of view, HRD could be staged into four levels ( Figure 1). Each level of HRD has its area of specialization, interventions, and output. Micro and Mezzo HRD limit their operations up to the organizational level. Hence, Macro and Mega HRD are broader in covering national and international development interests and indirectly aid the interventions of the organizational level. However, some HRD objectives and interventions are common at different levels, and these are complementary to each other at some point. Different level of HRD is discussed below.

Micro or functional unit level:
A raw human resource joins an organization with a theoretical knowledge set. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the concerned functional department to provide the new hires primary knowledge to make him/her perform day-to-day operations aligned with the job description. Line managers or supervisors should provide individual attention to every novice to socialize them with the organizational task and culture. These HRD programs are conducted for the individual employee by the concerned department. The inputs of this level HRD could be coaching, mentoring, on-the-job training and orientation program, etc. The micro HRD ensures long-term growth and development of the organization and helps build the national economy.

The mezzo-level/ HR departmental level:
Mezzo level of HRD facilitates the development of human potentials at groups or teams or unit level through job restructuring activities, organizational design, research, empowerment, the collaboration, which provides collective learning experiences to the team members different functional wings of an organization. It is an extended function of HRD that is mostly conducted by the human resource (HR) department of an organization in association with the line department. At this level, the strategic requirement of HRD is being met through centralized training and development interventions. Some organizations create their capacity to train people, and some send their employees to different training institutes to update them with a new set of knowledge and skill. Organizations also provide training to their employees on an outsourcing basis through Job portals, professional networking sites, and professional associations. Most of the time, the human resource department conducts the following activities, i.e., human resource planning, job analysis, and talent acquisition management, training & development interventions, performance management, compensation management, organizational development interventions, work-life balance program, career & succession planning, counseling, developing teamwork, strategic management, etc. in the name of HRD.

Macro or National level:
It is the responsibility of a government to develop the efficiency of employees at different levels, improving the physical, mental, and moral capacity of the working citizen for the local and international job market. Moreover, the government should take the responsibility to train the citizens to respond to various national crises, help them achieve entrepreneurial qualities, and finally infuse dedication and patriotism. Macro HRD programs intervene to develop the public health condition, provide educational opportunities, and develop infrastructural facilities to enhance citizens' productivity. It engages the citizen in income-generating activities, enriches vocational or professional capabilities, and develops positive attitudes that are obvious for a nation's holistic development and wealth generation. Central Government of the UK, South Africa, China, and Poland are taking many strategic initiatives of HRD at all levels. The challenges of this level of HRD are to develop infrastructural facilities to impart primary education and vocational training at the grassroots level. Government agencies are assigned to develop educational content and curriculums according to national strategic requirements and promote indigenous knowledge. Governmental ministries, i.e., education ministry, employment ministry, Information & Communication Technology ministry, Ministry of industries, youth development ministry, etc., initiate necessary programs to create human resources for local vacancies and overseas employment. The government should also provide necessary accommodation facilities, design welfare schemes, and increase employment opportunities to succeed in the HRD activities at the Mega HRD Regional (RHRD) /International (IHRD)

Mezzo HRD Group/Team
Micro HRD Individual national level. The core area of macro HRD is to develop a national consensus of learning and to ensure the proper utilization of human resources. Therefore, the concepts of national HRD are mainly functions at macro strata to develop competencies in the human resources of a country through knowledge, skill, and attitude development to create a competitive and potential workforce to meet global challenges.

Mega or Regional
Level: HRD at the mega level is understood and practiced as a human development initiative through the international or regional level coalition. It is conceptualized that there should be a spirit of shared learning among scholars, professionals, practitioners, corporate, and governments. This spirit of collaboration among the nations may help share and utilize each other's intellectual strength to enrich their citizen's lives. This initiative may facilitate the goal of continuous development and may enhance innovation across the nations. No country is entirely self-reliant and should exchange its intellectual capital through joint international programs like seminars, conferences, youth exchange programs, educational alliances, etc. Such initiatives will ensure peaceful and solvent life as in the global community. However, these HRD initiatives may minimize competition among the nations and may uphold the novel thought of global citizenship. Multinational firms may also practice RHRD for developing a culturally adaptive human resource (HR) to meet global challenges.

Beneficiaries or Stakeholders of HRD
From the study, it is found that there are four broad stakeholders (figure 2 and table 2) of HRD. Individuals or peoples are the most common and direct beneficiaries of HRD. HRD initiatives at the micro and mezzo level benefit the employees in many ways, like productivity improvement, a better quality of work-life, etc. Hence, the organizations also reap the benefit of profitability and growth out of that. Through the governmental interventions, common people of the country are benefited at large. Through regional cooperation among the countries, the entire world could be benefited from the outcome of HRD. The benefits of HRD are holistic and complementary to each other. Hence, an employee's productivity creates a chain effect of growth, which commonly benefits all the stakeholders of HRD. HRD is an intervention that serves the holistic purpose of an individual to the regional strategic, social, and cultural needs.   Jones (1981); Chalofsky& Lincoln (1983); Smith (1988); Nadler & Nadler (1989); Gilley and Egglund, (1989); Smith (1990); Garavan (1991)

Interventions of HRD
Interventions are actions or programs that facilitate the process of HRD (Table 4) to achieve the objectives of HRD. Most of the authors discussed training, formal education, organizational development initiatives, and career development programs as HRD interventions. Training is a common intervention provided by the organizations to develop the performance of employees and management peoples. Most of the HRD interventions should be aided by the government, including infrastructural facilities for formal education, public health, and employment. If the government could ensure essential facilities for NHRD, it will be easier for the organizations to initiate additional conveniences to ensure the productivity and performance of human resources. The interventions of HRD are compiled in table 4.

Outputs of HRD
The outputs of HRD are to enhance competency, employee motivation & job satisfaction, loyalty & commitment, cooperation, teamwork, etc. which helps an organization to reach the ultimate. The output of HRD finally facilitates in attain the outcome of the organization. The essential variables of HRD outputs are listed in Table 5.  (2003) 10 Teamwork Stone (2010) 11 Adaptability Harrison & Kessels (2004); Rothwell & Kasanas (1994) 12 Self-renewal Potnuru & Sahoo (2016).

Outcomes of HRD
The outcomes of HRD are to ensure productivity, profitability, competitive advantage, and sustainability of an organization, society, country, and mostly the world community. It will make the world free from poverty and minimize tension and conflict among men and nations. The essential factors of HRD outcomes are listed in Table  6.

CONCLUSION AND FUTURE RESEARCH POTENTIAL
This study has discovered the critical dimensions of HRD and categorized them in objectives of HRD, its operational levels, key stakeholders/beneficiaries, inputs, outputs, outcomes of an HRD system, and its interventions. HRD interventions focus on developing human capability through public and private investment, productive use of those human recourses in different economic capacities, and encouraging/motivating the human resources to develop a better society to live. The outcome of HRD is, directly and indirectly, contributing all the levels of Micro, Mezzo, and Mega HRD. The functions of modern HRD go beyond the organizational venture of traditional employee training and development programs and ensure the physical, mental, and moral development of an employee at the micro-level. However, at the macro-level of HRD, citizens are developed with physical and mental endurance, soft & hard skill, and, most significantly, moral & ethical development that keeps a nation free from corruption and evil deeds.
Human resources are indeed acknowledged as the most efficient input in achieving objective results for an organization. However, to develop the necessary skills, knowledge, organizational behavior, and proficiency of this precious asset, it is extremely imperative for the sustainable growth and development of an enterprise of the 21 st century. Traditionally, HRD is practiced in the form of training and development activities in many organizations. Hence, in modern days the dimension of HRD is increasing day by day as a strategic activity for an organization. To promote the employees with multiple skills and knowledge and prepare them to face the everchanging business environment, the result-oriented practice of HRD is obligatory. It is also an adaptation process for the workforce to face the challenges of a competitive environment as the HRD programs make them changefriendly. Every HRD initiative should be facilitated by well-designed interventions to achieve its stakeholder's objectives and goals of the society at large.
The author of the study has endeavored to discuss the concurrent and contextual dimensions of HRD by clustering secondary literature into a categorized knowledge of HRD to develop a comprehensive literature base to aid future researches on HRD. Researchers may prefer to investigate the empirical validity of the proposed variables of HRD extensively, and the HRD practitioners may use the items revealed from the study to diagnose the HRD health of an organization through a survey. We have to journey a great distance to conceptualize the context, concepts, principles, and practices of HRD, and such a comprehensive paper may facilitate future researchers to develop further knowledge.