Conclusions
All the major forces that will affect the workplace in the next 20 years are already in
play (Meister & Willyerd, 2010). Ruona and Coates (2012) aptly described these
future trends and forces as those that are pulling HRD—stretching it away from its
current state and acting as a positive stimulus and propelling force for creative action
and change. In an uncertain world, HRD expenditures may dip during economic reces-
sions, but there is no evidence of their long-term demise. Competitive pressures to
deploy well-trained workforces that can innovate constantly will not go away. Changes
in the structure of labor markets (greater use of labor-market intermediaries), in the
forms of organizations (from vertical hierarchies to networks), in social trends
(demands for more flexible work arrangements and explosive growth in the use of
social-media tools), and changes in technology (cloud computing, smartphones, tablet
computers) demand constant attention in the design and delivery of HRD initiatives.
Technology-delivered instruction and social-learning tools are two such innovations,
and there is every reason to believe that many others will follow.