The Value of Sophisticated Indigenous Ways of Being-Knowing-Doing Towards Transforming Human Resource Development in Ways that Contribute to Organizations Thriving and Addressing Our Existential Crises

Across the world we are experiencing existential crises that emerged from the compounding effects of the interactions of COVID, disasters, climate change, environmental destruction, poverty, food and water shortages, war, crime, domestic violence and substance abuse. Parallel, our individual and collective human resources have been steadily declining – we are getting physically and mentally sicker, our cultures and societies are becoming increasingly dysfunctional, and our build structures are going off in flames, being swept away by water or being destroyed as result of earthquakes and wars. All dimensions of life are implicated by these crises. The crises interact in a vicious down-ward spiral that creates significant, escalating and evolving human resources challenges (e.g., the strategic thinking challenges posed by burnout, staff shortages, turnover, working from home, supply-chain disruptions). While many organizations, and their employees, contribute to the environmental challenges we experience, they also have the great potential to contribute to solving these crises. Human Resource Development (HRD) research and practices are positioned to assist organizations to fulfil this great potential.