The Concept of Culture in International and Comparative HRD Research: Methodological Problems and Possible Solutions

Abstract

International and comparative research is one of the fastest growing areas of scholarly inquiry in HRD. All international HRD studies, regardless of specific topics of investigation, sooner or later refer to culture. Therefore, the treatment of culture in international HRD research is a matter of central importance. The goal of this article is to illuminate some of the central issues in international and comparative HRD research by helping HRD researchers to better understand the current approaches to culture and by discussing the methodological problems arising from the current use of the concept of culture. Several alternative approaches to culture in international research are analyzed and criticized. The authors close the article by outlining directions that might overcome the limitations of current approaches, help us to increase the utility of the international and comparative HRD research, and improve our ability to incorporate the cultural influences in our investigations.