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

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 of 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.