Developing Black solidarity employers and economies: an emergent community-based HRD framework

In communities where economic marginalisation stagnates availability of living-wage jobs, increasing workers’ employability does not change local conditions. What can HRD do about that? During a study commissioned by a Black-led job creation initiative, we learned its founder recruited and developed leaders of mid-to-large size enterprises to relocate their operations to an underdeveloped Black neighbourhood as an act of economic solidarity. Over ten years this strategy helped cultivate over 1000 jobs. Yet, HRD lacked conceptual tools to describe such an approach. To address this problem, we engaged in grounded theory analysis of semi-structured interview data collected for the initiative and local news articles about it. We also analysed academic studies about social-solidarity economy (SSE) strategies of Black communities across the Americas. After reaching saturation, the study produced two key findings. We generated a conceptualisation of employer development as a novel area of HRD research and practice focused on enhancing organisation’s job-creation capabilities. We then ground this concept in our initial formulation of a Black SSE development framework called Black SEED and discuss potential roles for HRD within it. We hope these contributions enable future HRD engagement in economic justice work, answering calls from the field to advance equitable societal development.