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Editor of "Valuing People and Technology in the Workplace"

Interview with Claretha Hughes, Director of the Honors Program at the University of Arkansas

By IGI Global on Jan 9, 2013
Dr. Claretha Hughes (University of Arkansas)IGI Global recently conducted an interview with Dr. Claretha Hughes of the University of Arkansas. Dr. Hughes is an author and editor of several IGI Global publications, including chapters in the Handbook of Research on Technologies for Improving the 21st Century Workforce and the Encyclopedia of E-Leadership, Counseling and Training. Here, we take a moment to discuss her book Valuing People and Technology in the Workplace: A Competitive Advantage Framework.

IGI Global: What are the most important issues addressed in this book?

Dr. Claretha Hughes: The Five Values (Location, Use, Maintenance, Modification, and Time) referred to give meaning to the person and the organization. The five values can help employees make career decisions. The conceptual, practice-based framework of the five values model can be applied immediately. Real world scenarios can also be immediately implemented using the model. This model was developed from the perspective of practice-to-theory as opposed to theory-to-practice. Organization design in chapter 2 clearly depicts practice-to-theory as opposed to theory-to-practice.

From the Human Resource Development perspective, the maintenance and modification of values can be used to help employees be effective in their job, prepare for advancement and continue making contributions. Linking the values to human capital theory readers can determine ways to see people as the most important assets and how to treat them as valuable assets. The book provide ways that managers and leaders can convey the value of people through investment in their development

What have you found most fascinating in the field of Human Resources Management, as well as in the research and development of your book?

DCH: The career development and management perspective with relation to employee location and use value is the most fascinating. All of the five values and three perspective (cognitive, behavioral and cultural) deals with career and life work experiences and employees can assess their performance against the values. For example, employees can look at their use value within the location at which they are employed and determine if it is a good fit and whether or not they need to adjust their maintenance, modification, and/or time value to enhance their performance.

It is also fascinating because it provides a different set of lenses (the five values as a metaphor for lenses) to view organizations as they approach the development of their people and making decisions about their people.

Where do you see the future of organizations when it comes to integrating employees and technology?

DCH: This whole concept of “people as technology” flows with where the world is going from a digital and technological system perspective. People have not lost value just because technology is brought into the organization. We must manage their five values to maintain the humanism of the person. The person made the system. The value is the person and the special insight that each individual brings to the work must be valued. It is all about managing performance: technology or people. If the technology or the people performance value is left untapped, organizations lose.

For example use value can be considered to enhance behaviorally anchored interview techniques. Technology is widely viewed as a sort of pathway to organizational success and changing the way we work through social media, cloud computing and other ways; however, the other piece is people and they must be able to use these tools to collaborate and enhance organizational success in the global economy. Technology permeates every aspect of work and changes so rapidly so the people must also change rapidly which solidifies the need for continual development of employees. HRD researchers and practitioners are needed to ensure the right development initiatives are created and implemented.

Who could most benefit from reading this book?

DCH: Organizational leaders and managers, (they manage the systems and employees look to them for confirmation of their value) and employees (they know the value that they bring to organizations and can better participate in their own personal development). Practitioners can use it to make the case for what they do to convince managers and leaders to make the needed investments in people. HR managers, doctoral students, HRD professionals will also benefit from reading this book.

Is there any message you would like to give to your readers as it pertains to the research?

DCH: This is an ongoing process and empirical studies are currently being developed to enhance this work. This research contains meaningful content and is not just philosophical. It is a concept that has great practical implications and can be used immediately. The five values provides a language to talk about people issues in the workplace in ways similar to how managers and leaders currently talk about technology issues.


Dr. Claretha Hughes is Director of the College of Education and Health Professions’ Honors Program as well as Associate Professor at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. Dr. Hughes teaches Human Resource and Workforce Development in the Department of Rehabilitation, Human Resources, and Communication Disorders at the University of Arkansas. She has extensive professional experience in business and industry and continues to serve as a consultant to international, national, and state organizations.

Valuing People and Technology in the Workplace was recently nominated for the R. Wayne Pace Human Resources and Development Book of the Year Award. This award is presented to the author(s) of the outstanding Human Resource Development book that advances the theory and/or practice of the profession. For more information on this nomination, visit the R. Wayne Pace HRD Book of the Year Award page. For more information on this publication, visit the Valuing People and Technology in the Workplace: A Competitive Advantage Framework web page.
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