What does caring HRD look like in practice? A case study of two social enterprises in Brazil

Impacts of COVID-19 pandemic, combined with an array of other severe threats to societal well-being (e.g. inequality, systemic racism, and environmental degradation), have shed light on the importance of ethics of care as a guiding normative for HRD. However, the current understanding of care as HRD practice is limited and primarily studied in the context of leaders’ behaviours towards employees. This study addresses this shortcoming by conducting a case study of social enterprises located in impoverished communities surrounding the UNESCO World Heritage Site Serra da Capivara National Park, Brazil, to examine what caring HRD looks like and how it can be operationalised in organisations. We conducted a qualitative study based on interviews and documentation analysis to map the flow of care practices implemented by these social enterprises. Our findings suggest that caring HRD entails a reciprocal and systemic approach highly relevant to organisations operating in collaborative and complex social contexts. We observed that moral values are critical requirements for a caring approach and must be embedded in the organisation’s mission, culture, and processes. Our work expands the range of care interventions proposed in HRD literature by offering strategies that target the whole organisational system, including the surrounding environment and community.