Andragogy and social capital theory offer a combined and interesting
perspective for learning and development in a knowledge economy. They
provide assumptions on the facilitation of learning in the workplace, the
strong motivational aspects of self-directedness and autonomy in competence
development, and the network of meaningful relationships that helps
learning integrate in the social context of the day-to-day work environment.
This article elaborates on the argument that andragogy and social capital
theory are paired and should be considered as part of the foundations of
HRD. There will be a specific reference to the critical and emancipatory
aspects of the adult learning tradition. Such a position is not instigated by
political convictions but is a result of the analysis of the characteristics of an
emerging knowledge economy.