Symbiotic Mutualism? A Process Perspective on the HRM and L&D Professions

Anderson, V ORCID: 0000-0002-4763-2772, Elliott, C ORCID: 0000-0003-3838-4452, Jolliffe, P ORCID: 0000-0003-1786-9047 and Tosey, P ORCID: 0000-0002-8581-0242 (2026) Symbiotic Mutualism? A Process Perspective on the HRM and L&D Professions. Human Resource Management Journal. ISSN 0954-5395

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Abstract

Professional HR associations are pivotal, yet under‐researched, institutions that shape recognition, accreditation, legitimacy and professional boundary definition in the HR field. In this paper we argue that as HR work expands into domains such as talent management, HR analytics, coaching, and mentoring, professional boundaries are better understood as dynamic and contested than as fixed outcomes of ‘closure’. This paper focuses on boundary adjustment at the interface of two enduring fields of HR practice: Human Resource Management (HRM) and Learning and Development (L&D). We report a 100‐year historical process analysis of the UK Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), drawing on archival, oral and publicly available sources, to address the question: what are the processes by which different HR‐related occupational or professional boundaries are established, developed, and changed? Our findings show concurrent processes of contestation, cooperation and boundary readjustment between HRM and L&D. We propose the concept 'symbiotic mutualism' to describe the process whereby these adjacent professional groups navigate and adjust their boundary claims. The concept of symbiosis has important implications for HR and other corporate professions where new areas of specialized practice continue to emerge.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	35 Commerce, Management, Tourism and Services; 3507 Strategy, Management and Organisational Behaviour; 1503 Business and Management; 1701 Psychology; Industrial Relations; 3505 Human resources and industrial relations; 3507 Strategy, management and organisational behaviour; 5201 Applied and developmental psychology
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HF Commerce > HF5001 Business
Divisions:	Liverpool Business School
Publisher:	Wiley
Date of acceptance:	6 August 2026
Date of first compliant Open Access:	7 September 2026
Date Deposited:	07 Sep 2026 10:57
Last Modified:	07 Sep 2026 10:57
DOI or ID number:	10.1111/1748-8583.70064
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/29332

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