Borrowing From Others: Appropriating Social Capital Theories for 'Doing' HRD

摘要

The problem and the solution. In this conceptual stud/, social capital theories are used to illuminate the practice of borrowing theories for HRD research and practice. "Borrowing" from other disciplines is an implicit, taken-for-granted practice in HRD theory development that has avoided scrutiny. Since HRD is a multiparadigm discipline, borrowing theories from monoparadigm disciplines can cause theoretical and logical inconsistencies.This study offers a way to organize borrowed social capital theories by categorizing them by paradigm and, ultimately, by the goal of the research and the desired HRD outcome. The article then offers a six-step process for borrowing theories from other disciplines. Ultimately, the article seeks an answer to the question: How can/should HRD borrow social capital theories to help achieve various (and contested) HRD outcomes?