Title: Training Instruments in HRD and OD
Introduction
Human Resources Development (HRD) & Organisational Development (OD) have evolved significantly over the years in India. Dr. Udai Pareek has contributed immensely to both the fields through various ways – most notably through his seminal work “Training Instruments in HRD and OD”. This book serves as an essential resource for HR practitioners, trainers, organizational consultants, and academicians. It provides a well-structured compilation of psychometric instruments and training tools that aid in self-awareness, skill enhancement, and competency development. As a result, it is widely regarded as a critical text in HRD and OD literature.
Psychology is the scientific study of human behaviour and its measurement, control and development. The “Measurement” of human behaviour fascinated Dr. Pareek. He studied Psychology and practiced it. He researched and developed/designed original psychometric tools/instruments. They were tested and standardised for use by teachers, trainers, HRD professionals, Psychologists, and HR practitioners. He also customised the western instruments to suit the Indian culture and its needs. The instruments are used for various purposes likes:
(i) selection
(ii) aptitude testing
(iii) attitude testing
(iv) research
(v) potential appraisal
(vi) individual growth
(vii) training and
(viii) organisation development.
Reliability, validity and objectivity are the most important for any instrument. The instrument should have high reliability and validity. However, the authors of the book Dr. Udai Pareek and Surabhi Purohit,opine that since the purpose is that of development, not taking decisions of recruitment, promotion, etc. face validity is sufficient for the instruments for HRD.
There is a dedicated chapter on how to develop instruments for the researchers or someone interested in designing instruments, which serves as a guidebook.
The chapter on “Source Books on Instruments” is very rich in details about a number of books available on instruments by both foreign and Indian authors. It runs into 63 pages. This is a valuable resource for researchers. A chapter named “Other Resources for Instruments” is another richresource with the details of websites, online instruments, and information on testing and assessment. This includes a list of free instruments available on the internet.
The next chapters are the core of the book. They deal with:
(i) Personal orientation & behaviour
(ii) Personal & Interpersonal styles
(iii) The Role and
(iv) the organisation.
All these chapters put together contain around 70 instruments.
Each of these chapters has a brief conceptual & theoretical framework about the instruments, which helps the uninitiated user into psychological testing and assessment. A notable strength of the book is its empirical foundation. Pareek developed and validated these instruments through years of research and practical application. It not only provides assessment tools but also their conceptual framework, guidelines about their administration, scoring and interpretation, and real-world application in HRD & OD areas.
Dr. Pareek exhibited immense interest in studying social behaviour and especially the measurement of social behaviour. He used the instruments he developed as a developmental intervention. He worked continuously on various instruments.That went on for almost half a century. His grounding in Psychology and rich experience across diverse sectors helped him in designing several instruments.
The book is divided into 5 parts containing 72 chapters. Part I is dedicated to the introduction to the subject.
In all, 69 instruments are included in this volume. 26 on personal and interpersonal orientation, 19 on styles, 10 on role and 14 on the organisation. There are some instruments for non-corporate groups-hospitals, nurses and general. Each instrument is briefly introduced with relevant instructions for its administration, its reliability, validity, norms and correlates.
As claimed by the authors, some instruments have been standardised, and relevant information about their reliability, validity and norms are provided. However, in some cases, the instruments have not been standardised. Since these instruments are to be used for HRD, standardising is not strictly required. The authors’ suggestions about photocopying the instrument and self-scoring is something only people like Dr Pareek can give to their readers. See the para “The instruments are printed in such a way that these can be directly photocopied from the book for the purpose of administration. In most cases, answer sheets are provided separately to help participants score fast. While photocopying, care should be taken to photocopy answer sheets on a separate page. Self-scoring helps respondents get better insights into the instrument and its interpretation”. Which writer on earth will give such a statement?
All the instruments of the book are behaviour-oriented. It follows the SAFI approach (SAFI – Self Awareness through Feedback on Instruments). In this approach, the participant takes the major initiative and actively uses the results of the instrument for planning a change in his/her behaviour. Scientific rigour & practical application, wide applicability across various sectors, user friendly instruments, structured approach and adaptability are its strengths.
Impact & the relevance
Dr Pareek’s instruments are used by organisations in different countries, including the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Ireland, Canada and the USA, with minor adaptions to suit the local cultural settings. Users of the instruments shared the data they collected with the Pareek’s, who have revised the norms of several instruments. Thus, year after year, the book was refined and revised. Now in its fourth edition. This proves that the book is still highly relevant. Cultural sensitivity is the hallmark of this book. Smt. Surabhi Purohit, able daughter of Dr. Pareek& co-author of the book,has continued to work on the book and passionately updated andredesigned the existing instruments with the additional knowledge and information made available with the advent of research insights in HRD & OD area.
Conclusion
Udai Pareek, a pioneer in behavioural science and organizational development in India, meticulously structured this book to serve as a practical toolkit for HR professionals.
It is a testament to the authors’ profound expertise and dedication to the field. It is a treasure trove of practical, theoretically grounded, and culturally relevant instruments that will undoubtedly prove invaluable for HRD and OD practitioners, researchers, and students alike.
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