Richard J. Torraco

Writing Integrative Literature Reviews: Guidelines and Examples

The integrative literature review is a distinctive form of research that generates new knowledge about the topic reviewed. Little guidance is available on how to write an integrative literature review. This article discusses how to organize and write an integrative literature review and cites examples of published integrative literature reviews that illustrate how this type of research has made substantive contributions to the knowledge base of human resource development.

Research Methods for Theory Building in Applied Disciplines: A Comparative Analysis

The problem and the solution. This volume presents an anthology of methods for theory building in applied disciplines. Each chapter has described the assumptions and methods of distinct approaches for developing theory. This chapter takes a collective view of research methods for theory building. Although the theorist can choose from a menu of the methods that have been discussed, certain characteristics of the methods themselves can lead to more productive theorizing depending on the particular research purpose of the theorist. This chapter presents a comparative analysis of research methods for theory building that leads to deeper understanding of the methods and their unique contributions to theoretical knowledge.

A Theory of Knowledge Management

The Problem and the Solution. Although knowledge is now recognized as one of an organizations most valuable assets, most organizations nevertheless lack the supportive systems required to leverage the value of knowledge Because knowledge is a complex and intangible asset that cannot be managed like other resources, organizations that do not systematically examine the cultural and technical dimensions of knowledge management will experience difficulties with this task This chapter draws on existing theory and recent empirical studies of this issue to develop a theory of knowledge management

Writing Integrative Literature Reviews: Using the Past and Present to Explore the Future

This article presents the integrative review of literature as a distinctive form of research that uses existing literature to create new knowledge. As an expansion and update of a previously published article on this topic, it reviews the growing body of literature on how to write literature reviews. The article identifies the main components of the integrative literature review, provides examples of visual representations for use in literature reviews, and describes how to write literature reviews that are integrative, definitive, and provocative. The article concludes by discussing the role of the integrative literature review in assessing future directions for policy and practice and in catalyzing further research.

Cognitive Demands of New Technologies and the Implications for Learning Theory

The cognitive demands of new technologies are poorly understood because the technologies themselves are not well understood and because refinements are needed in the methods used to study their cognitive demands. This article defines specific characteristics of tasks involving the use of new technologies and identifies the cognitive demands of these tasks. Then, the article examines how well four learning theories—those of Scribner, Schon, Wenger, and Hutchins—address these cognitive demands. A central contention of this article is that relatively few learning theories that have been applied to work settings fully capture the behavioral and environmental dynamics of learning and working. These four theories are shown to provide meaningful explanations of how such learning occurs, and their distinctive theoretical properties are identified. The implications of this study for further research on workplace learning and learning theory are discussed.

Advancing Our Understanding of Performance Improvement

The Problem and the Solution . If organizations operated flawlessly and performance was at its highest levels, what would we see? Functional areas would work together, and the organization would behave as an effective and efficient system does Personnel from key disciplines would collaborate to meet performance opportunities and needs The present would be characterized by organizational health, and sound informed strategic planning would prepare us for the future But most organizations today do not have these characteristics of sustained high performance To attain them, we need better methods and models for improving performance Research on how to achieve these characteristics is the best way to improve performance improvement methods

Organization Development and Change in Universities: Implications for Research and Practice:

The problem and the solution. This article will summarize what is known about the use of organization development (OD) in universities based on the foregoing cases. The following questions will be addressed: What lessons have been learned about OD in universities? Why have some change strategies been successful in developing organizational capabilities, particularly the ability of university personnel to identify and solve their own work-related problems? What does the examination of these cases contribute to the tools and methods available to OD professionals and consultants?

Ratings, Rankings, Results, and What Really Matters

Expanding the human resource development (HRD) knowledge base with new and better theory and conceptual frameworks is discussed in the research literature as an important contributor to advancing the impact and influence of emerging disciplines. This is an important part of the purpose of theory in an applied discipline such as HRD. In 1999, leaders of the Academy of Human Resource Development (AHRD) discussed the importance of theory for the continued advancement of the HRD discipline and began laying the groundwork for a new theory journal for HRD. A few years later, Human Resource Development Review (HRDR) was launched as a journal devoted exclusively to theory and theory building. Today, we live in a world that has changed dramatically since the late 1990s, when HRDR was conceived. AHRD itself has become a more global organization that now has five chapters on four continents. HRDR is now entering its 4th year of publication as a venue for theoretical research. HRDR presents new ideas and conceptual frameworks for framing issues and problems. As a key corollary of its mission, HRDR contributes to catalyzing better scholarship, research, and models for HRD practice. What value is being added to HRD research and practice by having HRDR as an outlet for theoretical research? How would we know if HRDR was making a contribution to helping achieve HRD’s goals? Is HRDR fueling better research and more effective practice? How would we assess its value in helping to achieve the AHRD mission of “leading the HRD profession through research?” Does HRDR contribute to producing better research or more effective HRD practice? What information would we use to assess this? Are there any ratings, rankings, results, or other information that would help us to know how the theoretical research offered by HRDR on a quarterly basis is helping to improve HRD? Scholarly journals have several indicators that help to assess their impact and value. Most journals monitor indicators such as manuscripts received, acceptance rates, journal citation reports, and subscription rates. This information provides some indication of the quality of the material published and of the magnitude of a journal’s readership. Acceptance rates tell us the percentage of manuscripts accepted for publication from among all new and resubmitted manuscripts that were judged to be acceptable for review by a journal during 1 year of publication. (HRDR’s acceptance rate for 2004 was

Organization Development: A Question of Fit for Universities

The problem and the solution. This article offers a theoretical framework for viewing the case studies of change in universities presented in subsequent articles. Two dramatically different strategies for effecting change in higher education are presented—organization development (OD) and top management-driven change. How effective is OD-based change in universities? Does top management-driven change offer a more appropriate explanation of change than OD? In this article, readers are asked to consider the different assumptions, purposes, and means for change represented in these two change approaches when reading the case studies that follow.

A Theorist’s Toolbox

Like other craftsmen, theorists need tools and resources to construct, use, and evaluate theoretical products. Three fundamental resources for theorists are provided in this article: criteria for evaluating theory, definitions of key terms, and a reading list of seminal works on several types of theory and theory-building methodologies. The following sections provide a concise review of the best work to date on the conceptual materials needed for productive theorizing. We offer this information to help contributors to Human Resource Development Review along their theory-building journey.