Assessing training and development trends in the South African Journal of Human Resource Management and the South African Journal of Industrial Psychology from 2003 to 2020.

Abstract

In South Africa there is limited research available on the patterns of knowledge production with respect to training and development. This study focuses on assessing and identifying seventeen years of training and development trends in the South African Journal of Human Resource Management and South African Journal of Industrial Psychology for the years 2003-2020. Key empirical trends, theoretical trends, implications for practice and to establish the implications of these trends for future training practice and theory will be identified. A total of 2639 articles from both journals pertaining to various aspects were examined but a total of 88 articles, that dealt with training and development were selected for the study. It was discovered that, the most utilised research approach in both journals were quantitative in nature. It also lead to reveal that the University of South Africa in both journals have published the most articles, relating to training and development over the last seventeen years, in both journals. It can also be noted the sector that was researched the most frequent was the educational sector across both journals and that Melinde Coetzee (SAJHRM) and Ronel Du Preez (SAJIP) both published 4 articles in the respective journals but Melinde Coetzee has also published 2 training and development articles in the SAJIP as well. The most utilised theory or model were the Model of total rewards in the SAJHRM and Phenomenology & Regression in the SAJIP. It was also discovered that in 2019 the SAJHRM published 11 training and development articles, the highest amount over the 17 years and the SAJIP published 6 in 2010. The themes and recommendations for managers did overlap across both journals as well and there appeared to be common patterns in both journals and some themes like skill shortages seem to in line with international trends and countries experiences the same issues. The following chapter answers the proposed research questions and sheds light on recommendations for the future of training and development in South Africa.