November 5 | 2026
November 6-8 | 2026
Tokyo, Japan
Open 2025/12/01
By 2026/10/28
US (EST) Eastern Time
By 2026/07/15
2026/03/01 – 2026/09/01
By 2026/09/16
Registration Deadline Times:
For all events, the registration deadline will now be based on Eastern Standard Time (EST).
This applies not only to the early registration deadline on September 30 but also to the camera-ready submission deadline.
The proposal submission deadline for the 2026 Asian AHRD Conference in Japan has been extended to July 15, 2026!
Don’t miss this opportunity to share your research, connect with HRD scholars and practitioners, and contribute to meaningful discussions shaping the future of HRD.
How the BEVI and BEVI-AI Can Help Reimagine Education, Work, and Society in the 21st Century
Date: November 5 | 2026 (Morning)
The Beliefs, Events, and Values Inventory or BEVI (https://thebevi.com/) has been in development for over 30 years, and has been administered hundreds of thousands of times all over the world. Through comprehensive, mixed methods, and depth-based measurement, the BEVI and its reporting / AI systems identify and address underlying processes that can help individuals, groups, and organizations pursue their potential. By participating in this immersive workshop, you will earn BEVI Certification, which will allow you to use the BEVI for multiple purposes (e.g., coaching, leadership development, team building, organizational assessment, project evaluation, strategic planning).
Date: November 5 | 2026 (Afternoon)
The Pre-Conference Doctoral Student Workshop at the Asian AHRD Conference in Japan brings together doctoral students from across Asia and around the globe who are pursuing research in Human Resource Development and related fields. Through interactive sessions, talks by experienced scholars, small-group mentoring, and peer exchange, participants will receive valuable feedback and guidance to strengthen their dissertation projects. By fostering an international community of practice, this immersive workshop provides a unique opportunity for emerging scholars to refine their research, deepen their academic identity, and prepare for impactful careers in HRD scholarship and practice.
Supporting Emerging Scholars in Sharing Their Research Internationally
Scheduled for early spring 2026, this online workshop is designed to help emerging scholars and doctoral students strengthen their skills in preparing and presenting at international conferences. Participants will learn practical strategies for crafting clear and compelling conference proposals in English, including how to align their submissions with conference themes and reviewer expectations. The workshop will also provide guidance on preparing effective presentations following proposal acceptance, with tips on delivery, audience engagement, and visual design. By the end of the session, participants will be better equipped to share their research confidently and successfully in global academic settings.
We are excited to announce the AHRD Conference of 2026, in Tokyo, Japan. We invite you to connect with a global community of scholars and practitioners dedicated to advancing Human Resource Development through research, dialogue, and collaboration.
Title: Redefining Talent and Human Resource Development in the Age of AI and Analytics
Topic Description:
This keynote highlights how AI and people analytics are reshaping talent, work, and human resource development, and what organizational leaders and HR professionals must do to lead this transformation. Drawing on the history and evolution of AHRD, it will show why strong professional communities, cross-continental collaboration, and academic-industry partnerships are essential for building human capability and advancing the future of HRD in Asia and beyond.
Biography:
Dr. Seung Won Yoon is the Immediate Past President of the Academy of Human Resource Development (2026–2028). He brings extensive expertise in people analytics, network science, and data-informed decision-making. His research integrates leadership, social capital, and data science to advance organizational performance and foster collaboration across academia and industry. Dr. Yoon has served as a Faculty Fellow in the College of Education and Human Development and at the Center for Teaching Excellence at Texas A&M University, where he has led a range of AI, analytics, and workforce development initiatives.
Title: HRD as Reciprocal Learning and Change: How Adults and Organizations Learn Through Change—and Change Through Learning
Topic Description:
This keynote reframes Human Resource Development (HRD) through the lenses of adult learning and organizational change and their relationship as mutually reinforcing reciprocal processes. Rather than treating learning and change as separate or sequential, the presentation will propose that adults and organizations learn through change and change through learning. Drawing on principles from adult learning and HRD theory and practice, the keynote will explore how learning is embedded in experience, adaptation, and transformation across individual and organizational levels within complexity.
The session will highlight how learning-centered systems can be designed to support continuous development, organizational effectiveness, and workforce adaptation in times of uncertainty. The keynote offers a conceptual framework for understanding HRD not simply as training or performance improvement, but as the intentional cultivation of environments where learning and change are dynamically linked. Implications for higher education, organizational practice, and the evolving role of HRD in a global context will be discussed.
About The Keynote:
This keynote explores Human Resource Development (HRD) as a dynamic interplay between adult learning and organizational change. It argues that learning and change are reciprocal processes—adults and organizations learn through change and change through learning—reframing HRD as the intentional design of learning-centered systems that support continuous adaptation in a global context.
Biography:
Dr. Laura L. Bierema is a Professor in the Adult Learning, Leadership, and Organization Development program at the University of Georgia. Her research focuses on workplace learning, career development, organization development, leadership, coaching, and critical human resource development. She has authored more than 160 publications, including 10 books, and previously served as Associate Dean for Academic Programs in UGA’s College of Education. Dr. Bierema is a U.S. Fulbright Research Scholar, former President of the Academy of Human Resource Development, and inductee into both the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame and AHRD’s Human Resource Development Scholar Hall of Fame.
Title: The Features and Stages of a Career: A Narrative of Learning, Survival and Thriving
This presentation offers an ethnographic examination of an academic career exploring how learning, identity, relationships, and institutional culture shape professional experiences across career stages. Drawing on narrative, poetics, literature, and multimedia, the presentation examines critical moments of navigating, surviving, and ultimately thriving within the academy. Three interconnected themes organize the presentation. The Early Years: Understanding and Deciphering the Hidden Culture explores the challenges of learning unspoken institutional norms and expectations. Finding a Place: The Salvation of Cross-Cultural Mentoring considers how mentoring relationships across cultural and racial differences can provide support, belonging, learning, and professional development. Vignettes of Midcareer: The Pet-to-Threat Phenomenon examines shifting relationships, expectations, and power dynamics as academic careers develop. Overall, these narratives illuminate academic careers as ongoing processes of learning and negotiation shaped by institutional culture, positionality, mentoring, power, and professional identity across multiple stages of academic life.
Biography:
Dr. Juanita Johnson-Bailey, the Centennial Professor of Women’s Studies at the University of Georgia, is a member of the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame, recipient of the 2026 Exceptional Service in the Field Award (Adult Higher Education Alliance), the 2025 Community Practice–Broad Impact Award (International Leadership Association), the 2018 Career Achievement Award (American Association of Adult and Continuing Education), and the 2015 Eleanor Roosevelt Fund Award (American Association of University Women).
Her current research focuses on the Pet to Threat Phenomenon (Forbes, 2024). Johnson-Bailey is the author of Sistahs in College: Making a Way Out of No Way, which won the Phillip E. Frandson Award for Literature and the Sadie T. Mossell Alexander Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Black Women’s Studies. She is the co-editor of the Historical and Cultural Foundations of Adult, Workforce, and Higher Education (2026), Advancing Women in Leadership (2020), and Handbook on Race and Racism in Adult and Higher Education (2010). . She specializes in researching race and gender in education and workplace settings. She has made significant contributions to the literature in adult education and higher education with over 100 publications, which include: Harvard Educational Review, Teachers College Record, and the Journal of Higher Education.
Title: How Cross-Boundary Learning Transforms Organizational Culture in Japanese Companies
In recent years, cross-boundary learning has attracted growing attention in the field of human resource development in Japan. It has come to play an important role in transforming the culture of Japanese companies by enabling employees to learn beyond the boundaries of their own organizations, sectors, and professional communities. This keynote speech explores why cross-boundary learning has become increasingly widespread in Japan and how it contributes to organizational change. It also discusses the broader implications of cross-boundary learning for human resource development across Asia.
Biography:
Dr. Nobutaka Ishiyama is a Professor at Hosei University in Tokyo, Japan. He earned his PhD in Policy, Planning, and Development from the Graduate School of Regional Policy Design at Hosei University. His research focuses on human resource management and organizational behavior. His work has been published in leading international academic journals, including Human Resource Development International, Journal of Knowledge Management, and Journal of Managerial Psychology. He received the JAHRD Award from the Japanese Academy of Human Resource Development in 2018 and the JAAS Award from the Japanese Association of Administrative Science in 2022.
Sponsoring AHRD’s conference positions your organization at the forefront of advancing human resource development worldwide. Gain visibility among leading scholars, practitioners, and innovators while reinforcing your commitment to shaping the future of work and learning.
