The problem and the solution. Unprecedented problems, which appear to resist solution by traditional and modern methods, demand new approaches. The field of human resource development (HRD) has primarily concerned itself with learning and change that contribute to but do not challenge the status quo within organizations. During the 1970s, theorists in various fields began to develop a new genre of learning and change theory, which, rather than advocating adaptive change within existing systems, focused on changing basic elements of the systems themselves. Transformative learning theory in adult education provides a significant contribution to this endeavor.
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