Human resource development (HRD) practice can be viewed from a number of theoretical standpoints. Rather than viewing competing standpoints as unhelpful at best,or incompatible at worst,this article proposes purposeful dialogue between them. The argument of this article is that to draw on a range of interpretive lenses,far from inhibiting our understanding of HRD,actually helps the researcher arrive at a fuller and more holistic understanding of such activities. This,in turn,leads to better informed feedback to HRD practitioners as they seek to design and manage training interventions in organizations. By way of illustration,Bolman and Deal’s multiframe approach is applied as an interviewing device,with managers taking part in an executive coaching program in a case organization, demonstrating the unpredictability of an apparently straightforward HRD intervention. Implications for HRD theorizing,methodolo gy,and practice are summarized.
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