Department of Human Service
Human Resources Program
Phone: 828-227-2493
Email: wksmith@email.wcu.edu
mailto:wksmith99@comcast.net (alt)
Address: Killian 210A
Website: http://www.wkirksmith.com/
Research Interest: Informal learning, Organizations as complex adaptive systems, Measurement and evaluation
of HRD initiatives, Decision making
Education:
- Indiana State University – Ph.D. in Technology Management with a technical specialization in Human Resource Development
- East Carolina University – Master of Science in Industrial Technology – 2004
- Georgia Tech – Bachelor of Engineering Economic Systems – 1974
Biography:
Kirk Smith is an Assistant Professor in the MSHR program at Western Carolina University. His Ph.D. is in Technology Management with a specialization in Human Resource Development. His research interests include informal learning, measurement and evaluation of HRD programs, business ethics and organizational culture, all within a focus of organizations as complex adaptive systems.
As a practitioner, Dr. Smith has held several training management positions and most recently an independent consultant where he specialized in project management and measurement and evaluation. He is also a Certified ROI Professional through the ROI Institute and a Project Management Professional (PMP) through the Project Management Institute.
Publications:
- Leadership Program Impact Study (2007) in Kent Barnett and Jeffrey Berk’s Human Capital Analytics (pp. 192-209), Tarentum, PA: Word Association Publishers.
- Measuring ROI in Operational and Quality Training (2008). In Jack and Patti Phillips’ (Eds.), ROI in Action Casebook (pp. 171-183), San Francisco: Pfeiffer.
- Improved Performance: From Business Analytics to Rational Action (2009); Dr. Jac Fitz-enz’ Human Capital Source website
- Using Technology to Support Evaluation (2009) in Patti Phillips (Ed.) ASTD Handbook of Measurement and Evaluation. Alexandria, VA: ASTD. Due for release in early 2010.
- The Future of Human Capital Analytics (2009) in Jac Fitz-enz The New HR Analytics. New York: AMACOM. Due for release in April 2010