Introduction

University–industry collaboration has been promoted and incentivised by universities and governments for the past three decades (Ankrah & Al-Tabbaa, 2015). The many imperatives to engage industry in higher education learning and teaching include helping universities to build their reputation for quality and professional relevance, attracting students, attracting industry funding and producing work-ready graduates (Nygaard et al., 2008; Valentín, 2000). Engaging with industry provides academics with contemporary, authentic knowledge of industry practice and the potential to develop industry relationships that may lead to research opportunities, potential funding sources and avenues for practical research impact (D’Este & Patel, 2007; Larsen et. al., 2023).

There are also multiple benefits for higher education students in engaging with authentic resources, which are defined as learning resources that prepare ‘students to be professionals in the workforce’ by making connections between concepts taught in higher education and the application of those concepts in professional settings (Borthwick et al., 2007, p. 15). Authentic resources expose students to real-world knowledge required by employers and professions and help them to understand how theory applies in professional contexts (Harvey et al., 1995; Stein et al., 2004). By engaging with learning resources where industry experts present real problems from work situations, students can realise the benefits of authentic learning, including building their self-evaluation skills (Villarroel et al., 2018), deepening their understanding of the application of theory in practice, and learning about their prospective career (Burns & Chopra, 2016). Authentic learning is also likely to increase learner engagement and satisfaction (Herrington et al., 2014).

University–industry partnerships are defined by collaborative sharing of resources and knowledge to achieve mutually agreed objectives that benefit both the university and the industry partner (Prigge, 2005). At the programmatic level, industry representatives often participate in university advisory boards, and professional associations accredit and co-develop curriculum to ensure the strategic alignment between professional accreditation and degrees (Oraison et al., 2019). For example, the Australian HR Institute (AHRI) accredits Australian university human resources management (HRM) courses on a three-yearly basis to ensure course alignment with the professional standards and capabilities set out in the Australian HR Capability Framework (AHRI, 2022). Similarly, in the United Kingdom, the chartered institute of personnel and development (CIPD) maps HRM programme content against established professional standards. For professional bodies such as AHRI or CIPD, engagement with universities supports the quality and longevity of professions, providing an emerging pool of qualified professionals (Frank et al., 2012).

Individual industry experts and the organisations they work for also participate in higher education through programmes such as work-integrated learning, through guest lectures or by contributing to real-world assessment tasks (Herrington et al., 2014). The benefits to students, universities and professional bodies of professionals engaging in higher education learning and teaching are well documented. However, aside from the literature on recruiting and retaining clinical educators in the health disciplines (Lambert & Glacken, 2005), there is little research into the perceived benefits for, or motivations of, individual industry professionals participating in higher education learning and teaching, particularly in business/management. One of the few studies that sought to understand guest lecturers’ perspectives in management courses found that the challenges of recruiting guest lecturers included difficulties identifying and nurturing relationships with industry experts, and a lack of capacity and willingness to participate (van Hoek et al., 2011). The primary benefit identified was that the guest lecturer could showcase their company and identify talent, though the potential for personal satisfaction and inspiring future professionals was also noted (van Hoek et al., 2011). The university–industry collaboration literature mostly focusses on the motivations for research collaboration at the firm level, including research and development funding, accessing university-based technology and knowledge, enhanced company reputation through association with a reputable university and accessing talent among university students and staff (Ankrah & Al-Tabbaa, 2015; Ankrah et al., 2013; D’Este & Patel, 2007; Ramos-Vielba & Fernández-Esquinas, 2012). The lack of understanding of the motivations of, and benefits to, individual management professionals is a surprising gap in knowledge, but addressing it is necessary to encourage industry experts to participate and engage in university teaching and learning in ways that are meaningful and beneficial for industry experts, students, universities and academics.

Context

This study is based on a project to develop authentic learning resources (podcasts) for postgraduate HRM students in a large Australian university. The podcasts were co-created by academics with industry professionals to help students understand the practice of HRM and related management specialisations and roles.

Ensuring the engagement of students learning online emerged as a crucial issue during the COVID-19 pandemic, with recent research into student perceptions showing that learning resources and content design must be tailored for online learners (Fan et al., 2023). Podcasts—digital audio files that can be listened to online or downloaded on demand by listeners—can improve the engagement, motivation and comprehension of higher education students when used as a pedagogical tool (Collier-Reed et al., 2013; Hargis et al., 2008). These benefits arise because the on-demand accessibility of podcasts gives learners both flexibility and control of the learning experience, enabling them to engage with content when, where and how they choose (Drew, 2017). The sense of social presence and community experienced through podcasts provides an additional benefit to students who are unable to engage in synchronous learning activities such as lectures or tutorials (Almeida-Aguiar & Carvalho, 2016). Podcasts constitute an authentic learning resource where the experiences shared by professionals reflect the application of theories and models in professional environments (Villarroel et al., 2018). Sharing industry experience can directly influence the development of future professionals and build professionals’ own profiles and the profile of the organisations they represent. In the same way that guest lecturing benefits organisations seeking to recruit talent (van Hoek et al., 2011), podcasts may provide an opportunity for industry professionals to showcase their company to a potential talent pool in the students who are listening to the podcast. Prior research shows that podcasting can foster supportive collaborations and professional endeavours and promote professional connections (Casares Jr, 2022; Murray, 2019).

Professionalism

Professionalism forms the conceptual framework for this study. It provides an appropriate framework because of its relevance to university students as nascent professionals, and the professional status of the industry experts who co-created authentic learning resources for HRM students. Distinct from other occupations, professions are identifiable as self-governing bodies which operate autonomously, with a concern to control defined and codified knowledge through specified training and entry requirements. Occupations moving towards recognition as a profession progress through stages towards what Slater (2019, p. 9) surmises are the characteristics of professional occupations:

A collective organisation; they have a body of knowledge which underpins practice and which is curated and developed; they have values of altruism for social good; and the profession regulates itself through the license to practice, the register of members and codes of professional conduct.

The professional project (Larson, 1977) is a mechanism inherent in the professionalisation of an occupation to construct boundaries around the characteristics of a profession. This includes creating barriers to entry to the profession, such as qualifications.

The context for the professionalisation of HRM in Australia follows the development of HRM as a recognised profession in other Anglophone contexts such as the United States and United Kingdom (Slater, 2019). While a qualification is not a requirement to enter the HR profession in Australia, the professional body in Australia, AHRI, plays a role in promoting educational qualifications. Universities can seek AHRI accreditation for their HRM programme, providing a pathway to professional recognition for HRM graduates. This has contributed to an increasing number of HR professionals with educational qualifications, from 9% in 1985 to 46% in 2012, suggesting an increasing recognition of a HR degree as a ‘career entry point’ (Sheehan & De Cieri, 2012). Hallier and Summer (2011) highlight the importance of the university curriculum in shaping the future HR profession. Their study found that while most HRM students intended to enter HR at the end of their degree, their understandings and expectations of the profession and its role and purpose changed significantly during their studies (Hallier & Summer, 2011). Purposefully providing students with authentic learning resources that show industry professionals’ perspectives is thus important to improving their understandings of the profession. While much is known about the benefits to students of engaging industry in higher education, there is scant understanding of the motivations of, and benefits to, industry professionals. Using professionalism as a conceptual lens can help to understand the activities of HR professionals within the context of the profession’s pursuit of recognition and status which has framed HRM since its emergence in the 1980s (Farndale, 2005). At the meso level, embodying professionalism is a critical element in securing the professional project and the desired shift from occupation to profession (Farndale, 2005). As a value system, professionalism socialises new members, contributes to the maintenance of the social order of work and facilitates the provision of expertise and service to the public and clients (Evetts, 2003). At the micro-level, through everyday actions and interactions, professionalism is the mechanism through which an individual professional builds trust and articulates the role and contribution of the profession and in return is recognised as authoritative, and their status is acknowledged (Evetts, 2003).

The aim of this project was to investigate industry professionals’ motivations for engaging in a podcast series developed between 2019 and 2021 for enrolled postgraduate HRM students in an Australian university. The project engaged industry professionals in HRM (and related fields) to develop a series of podcast recordings offering real-world perspectives on HRM topics aligned to the learning outcomes of the study area. The project was part of a curriculum redesign activity for the Master of HRM study area that provided an opportunity for innovative approaches to delivering the university’s strategy on real-world learning experiences. Sixteen podcast recordings with industry professionals were generated and made available to current students on the university learning management platform. This study explored the question: What motivates individual industry professionals to co-create authentic higher education learning resources and what benefits do they perceive?

Methodology

A convenience sample of professionals was identified through existing contacts of the research team, the business faculty alumni network, and a work-integrated learning programme. Participants were required to hold a current HRM role in Australia (private, public or third sector) with specialised knowledge of a topic relevant to the HRM study area. Topics included coaching and leadership, HR capabilities, organisational culture and occupational health and safety. All industry professionals were employed in senior HRM positions, and while tenure in their current senior roles ranged from 4 months to 20 years, they all had more than 3 years of total experience in the HRM profession.

Sixteen industry professionals co-created a podcast with one of two HRM subject coordinators. The co-development process included the academic providing participants with information about the purpose of the podcast series, the cohort of students, and course learning outcomes. Participants were asked to provide information about their current role, their career, and their area of expertise. The academic and industry professional then discussed potential focus topics for the podcast in which course content could be illustrated by discussing specific examples from the professional’s work. This discussion involved brainstorming topics related to the professional’s interests and areas of expertise, then narrowing the potential topics with reference to the curriculum, before proposing a structure for the podcast. Proposed questions were developed by the academic, then refined and agreed by the professional. The podcast was then recorded. The recording was provided to the participant, who was given an opportunity to request editing if desired. Participants provided a photograph and brief biographical statement to be included with the podcast on the learning management system. Following university human research ethics committee approval, all 16 professionals who had recorded a podcast were invited to participate in a research interview about their experience and motivation to participate in the podcast series. Nine provided informed consent and participated in an interview. Sample characteristics are shown in Table 1.

Table 1 Participant characteristics
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Data collection and analysis

In-depth, semi-structured interviews based on the extant industry engagement literature were used to explore participants’ experiences and reflections on their experiences (Kvale & Brinkmann, 2015). Topics included reasons for involvement, anticipated benefits and their experience of co-creating a podcast resource. The interviews were conducted between December 2020 and June 2022 by an independent project team member who did not co-create the podcast. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. All researchers read the interview transcripts to become familiar with the data. Thematic analysis was used to make sense of participants’ experiences and identify the themes pertaining to the research questions (Braun & Clarke, 2012). Initial codes were grouped by one researcher through an iterative process of identifying, reviewing and refining the emerging themes to generate five initial themes. To enhance trustworthiness (Shenton, 2004), inter-coder checking between the three members of the research team was undertaken. The members of the research team first discussed the initial five themes reflecting on their reading of the transcripts, and then individually re-coded the transcripts to ensure that the themes were coherent, mutually exclusive and covered all participants’ perspectives pertaining to the research question. The research team met to reflect on the degree of agreement between coders and discussed divergent views. Following this stage of the analysis, two separate themes on professional practice and professional identity were combined, producing four refined and conceptually distinct themes agreed by all researchers.

Results

The results are structured according to four themes that illustrate the motivations of industry professionals and the benefits that they perceive from engaging with academics to co-develop authentic learning resources. These are as follows: valued relationships with academics and the university, ensuring that current students’ experience was superior to their own student experience, building and fostering the professional community and providing an opportunity for reflection on professional practice and professional identity. Quotations are referenced by pseudonym (shown in Table 1 above).

Relationships with academics and the university

Industry experts discussed their current or potential future relationship with academics and the university as a motivation for agreeing to co-develop learning resources and as a benefit of their participation. Continuing or establishing relationships with higher education institutions was perceived as beneficial because of the potential to influence the curriculum and because it provided organisations with the opportunity to ‘tap into’ academic experts or ‘collaborate around future problems and challenges’ (Wendy).

Industry experts cared deeply about the nature of their engagement in university learning and teaching; for example, Su described a previous experience at a different institution where students had ‘to present to’ industry experts as limiting opportunities ‘to help shape the curriculum’. Sanila similarly identified the intention to meet the industry challenges by shaping curriculum.

There’s been a lot of change that’s coming through all sectors actually, and higher education is certainly one part of that. Innovating and building what that will look like is actually quite exciting. (Sanila)

Industry experts considered that co-creating learning resources provided an opportunity to connect practice to the curriculum to ensure the continued relevance of higher education.

Every time a university proactively reaches out to industry to ensure that they are bringing the theory to life, I think it’s super important … I think it makes the experience richer and broader and more applicable … External experts and those who are working in jobs in those professions … [can] provide a clearer understanding of what that might look like, to add some value and then contextualisation to what’s being studied in the classrooms. (Catherine)

While the relationship with academics and the university may be the impetus for industry agreeing to participate in resource co-development, the strongest theme motivating them, however, was meaningful contribution to the experience of higher education students in their discipline.

Improving the student experience

When discussing their reasons for agreeing to develop a podcast and their perceptions of the benefits to students, participants consistently reflected on their own experiences as a higher education student. Participants discussed the disjuncture between the theory they learned at university and the practice they experienced in their early professional lives, and how it drove a desire to bridge that gap for the students of today. Access to the perspectives of industry experts was seen as necessary for students to be able to contextualise their learning and eventually apply concepts to practice.

I’ve studied previously and a lot of this study I did was highly academic … very theory-based. I was really fortunate to be able to have employment at the time that I was able to directly attribute that learning to, but I appreciate in all cases, not everybody has that. I know as a student … it’s really important to be able to understand the real-world application. (Catherine)

Similarly, participants reflected on their own lack of understanding of the real-work context when they were studying, and discussed how this prompted them to participate in the podcast:

When I reflect back, while I was so impressed when I studied, … that’s what I missed, I wanted to hear from people who are already doing it. I’m like, you know, what’s their process, what’s their challenges, what do they think about it? What’s exciting, what’s not exciting about it? (Shahid)

Participants’ reflections on the learning approaches they experienced at university further informed their beliefs about podcasts as an innovative and flexible learning tool that would likely be more engaging than traditional lecture methods, more relevant because of the direct contextualising of theory and subject content in practice, and thus highly valued by students. Professionals noted that they preferred the informality of the podcast conversations to formal guest lecturing and believed that students would share this preference because ‘it gives a kind of accessibility that you probably don’t have in a lecture because a lecture guest-speaking environment … is quite a formal situation’ (Vic).

Podcasts were considered to have a wider reach and greater longevity than in-person lectures. Professionals acknowledged the diverse needs of student learners, pointing to pervasive time pressures and the reality that many students cannot or do not attend class in person. Podcasts were seen as a positive and accessible way to reach a wider student cohort, when and where it suited those students. Their reflections showed that they would have appreciated greater flexibility and accessibility of learning resources when they were students.

I think students would get enormous value out of those podcasts being on demand and listenable when they need, when they require … You know, I recall when I was doing my master’s, I was studying … and working full time. It was a big juggling act. … this is really an opportunity for the students to engage on demand and not feel like they’re missing out on really great content and great conversations. (Vic)

Industry experts were further motivated by the notion of participating in a series of podcasts with other experts, believing that the diversity of views and experiences provided by current HR professionals contributed to the development of critical thinking skills in students and demonstrated the diversity of perspective and careers in the HR profession.

I think every time you can hear more of the stories of the people that are working in those roles, and it’s not just my story, it’s a combination of all of the stories and all the exposure to the workplace. It’s going to be most beneficial to the students … to have that diversity of thought is really important so that we continue to consider different perspectives based on experience, and then we can more critically judge and think for ourselves about what that means for us … (Shahid)

Most commonly, participants expressed a desire to expose students to ‘real’ experiences, what it is ‘really like to work in HR’, to prepare students for the future world of work and to reinforce the relevance of their study to the profession but, particularly, the need to apply what they learn.

… it does sort of feel like you are bringing the real world in through the podcast opportunity and allowing the students to connect, as I say, with real-time people, as opposed to just looking at, as we said, outdated or aged writing and literature … I expect higher education to be more of the knowledge and evidence base, but encourage more analytical … and getting students to evaluate the information and the data and understand and apply that in a real-world, real context. That’s probably the piece that I am a little bit critical of, is that, yes, you can have a bag full of brains, but can you actually apply that in the real world? (Jan)

The emphasis professionals placed on exposing students to ‘real’ HR experiences and knowledge was expressed both as a desire to improve the student experience (compared to their own experience), and as a means to foster and grow the professional community and build or attract talented future HR professionals.

Fostering professional community

Although prior research on industry engagement identifies attracting talent as a key motivator for industry collaboration with universities (Ankrah & Al-Tabbaa, 2015), only two participants specifically expressed a desire to attract future employees and build their organisational brand.

We’re also building our brand for potential future hires. … I’d like to think that [podcasts] might help us in attracting young talent, because that is a big part of our strategy. I can see a benefit from [the] perspective of students knowing more about the company and maybe being a little bit more attractive, to be attracted to it or seeking us out. (Vic)

I think the benefit for us to certainly keep in with a … quality university program that has HR graduates at the end of it, would be really good to either offer … some sort of program … or opportunities to … give them some work experience to learn and get a practical sense for time or even career opportunities at the end of it. (Ken)

When asked about benefits for their employing organisation, participants instead reinforced their views on the greater benefits accruing to the profession rather than a specific organisation.

I wouldn’t look at it as a way of promoting myself or my business. That wasn’t at all what I was thinking when I agreed to do it. It was more about supporting the general understanding of what coaching is. (Joseph)

Helping the students of today that become the workforce of tomorrow is really critical not only for our organisations, but for so many other organisations. (Wendy)

By giving their voice and experience to a podcast, professionals felt they were able to share stories that exposed students to the ‘realities’ of the HR profession. The realities professionals mentioned aligned with many of the debates on the challenges faced by the HR profession, including positioning HR as a strategic business partner, demonstrating the value of HR and establishing its credibility (Slater, 2019). Participants cited potential ‘huge benefits to the HR community with more of our leaders speaking on podcasts’ (Catherine) to counter a lack of understanding of the strategic contribution of the HR function.

HR is about people, but it’s actually a little bit more complicated and a little tougher than that. And I think the more we can educate about the reality of what HR can bring, in how strategic it can be and how difficult it can be, you know, then that would really benefit the credibility of the profession as new people come into it and are really automatically more robust and more aligned with what value HR can bring. (Catherine)

Exposing students to the realities of the HR profession also involved describing the diverse nature and variety of roles available in the profession, particularly sub-specialities. Professionals believed that exposing students, who would be future HR leaders, to clearer information about specialised areas would have longer-term benefits for the profession and create a more informed business community.

Look, knowledge is power, and it’s so important, I think, for the HR students who are going to be key emerging leaders in the HR community. So most definitely them knowing and having this information, particularly because I talked about health and safety and enforceable undertakings … they most certainly will come across health and safety. (Jan)

I would hope that through the course … that they’re taking and things like the podcast, that they would have a much better understanding of what coaching is and what coaching isn’t, because they’re most likely going to be the kinds of people that will be hiring, coaching and bringing coaching into their organisation. So, if they’re doing that from an informed position, I think that’s a great benefit to coaching in general. (Joseph)

Industry experts believed that engaging students would build and create longevity for the professional HR community, providing all members with an opportunity to connect with and draw on the knowledge, experience and new ideas of a larger network, including the relevant professional association.

[I want] to let students know that actually, hey, there is a group outside of university that champions you and supports you and where you can find common ground and people who understand what you do. So that’s one benefit, I think, to the industry as a whole. (Vic)

But I just think that, particularly communities, there’s a real need for connecting whether it’s through virtual forums … But there is, I think, another dimension to that benefit, which is that for the connectivity that we get, with the professional experience to share, and those who are our emerging talent into the profession, so there’s something about that dynamic that is very constructive, and I think value-add. (Sanila)

For some participants, the podcasts were a way to contribute or ‘give back’ to their profession. This was, for some, perceived as a professional responsibility. In most cases, they were not motivated to participate in the podcasts for personal benefit but rather to benefit professional practice.

[HR professionals have] always been quite conscious of the responsibility that they have to really enable and support those who come behind us. I’m very passionate of my craft, and I believe in my craft. And I think that for those of us who have been … practising this craft, being able to share some of the insights … but also the love of the craft, and how we believe in it, really opened enablers very early on for those who come after, [the] students … (Sanila)

While several industry experts discussed the altruistic drive to ‘give back’ to their profession by fostering the growth of a new group of professionals, some acknowledged that there were elements of self-interest in having prepared, work-ready graduates who would sustain the profession and in turn contribute to the profession and organisations.

I’m very committed to giving back to, you know, to kind of grow the profession that I’m really passionate about and I’m really engaged in. So, there’s value in doing something that you believe in, and you think something that will give value to other professionals to help you down the track. So … from that just kind of altruistic point is when we know that there’s research that altruism isn’t really altruistic because we still get quite a lot out of it … And, look, I think the more, the more we can prepare the next generation of HR practitioners for the reality of the workforce, the better it will be. (Vic)

Reflective practice

Podcasting has been used by professionals as a means of building their own professional profile and establishing their expertise (Waddingham, Zachary, & Ketchen Jr, 2020). Professionals who are invited to present or lecture in higher education settings are often selected because they are acknowledged experts in a particular subject area, and doing so reinforces their standing in the professional community (Krogstie & Krogstie, 2018; van Hoek et al., 2011). The professionals in this study, however, were not motivated by building their profile and did not see this as a benefit of participating. Overwhelmingly, the professionals in this study described the main benefit of completing the podcast as the opportunity for reflection. This was, for them, an unexpected personal benefit.

So, it was a very interesting reflection to go, oh yeah, you say this a lot or … you come across this way or that way. So, from that perspective, it’s a very, very interesting self-reflecting moment. (Vic)

Participants described how preparing for, participating in, and listening to the final podcast provided a rare opportunity for them to spend time reflecting on their own professional practice.

It allowed me to reflect also. The questions, to me, stimulate thought which I reflect on for the purposes of challenging my own behaviour and performance. (Wendy)

The importance of reflective practice for HR professionals was acknowledged by many participants, though several commented that this was a rare opportunity as ‘there’s not a lot of time for reflection with the space and pace of life right now’ (Su). The process of reflective practice enabled by the podcasts helped participants to communicate to others the relevance of their role and professional knowledge.

What I do know is that it does make me think more deeply about this specific topic that you do talk about, that you are sharing your insights into … knowing that if you are able to explain something to somebody else, you need to know [it] really well yourself. So, when you are defending the podcast, for example, it does make you think about that topic quite deeply to ensure that you can articulate the message in a clearer way that makes sense to those listening [and] to the recipient. I think there’s a great benefit personally, in actually knowing what you stand for. (Sanila)

It was good reflection. During the podcast, I found that some of the conversations and questions that are brought into conversation was kind of self-reflection as well. It was great to leverage that, back with my team and reflect on that. … and it was beneficial for my team to share what we do and what’s happening in our organisation; can one way or another resonate with others. (Shahid)

Discussion

The threshold motivation for industry experts to agree to participate in co-developing podcast resources was their desire to establish or maintain existing valued relationships with the university or the academic who requested their participation. This aligns with literature highlighting the ‘crucial role of personal connections and networks’ in recruiting professionals as guest lecturers (Krogstie & Krogstie, 2018, p. 7) and supports broader university–industry collaboration research which posits the importance of previous cooperative experiences and relationships (Valentín, 2000). The dominant motivation for participating, however, was a desire to shape the student experience to ensure students had a deeper appreciation of the link between theory and practice and understood the realities of working in HRM.

After participating and then reflecting on their experience, industry experts identified several inter-connected benefits. Contrary to prior research that suggests industry participation in higher education is driven by a desire to attract talent to their organisation (Ankrah & Al-Tabbaa, 2015), the findings of this study demonstrate industry benefits across four interrelated dimensions: the professional self, the future professional (students), the professional organisation (the employer/organisation) and the professional community, as depicted in Fig. 1 and explained below.

Fig. 1
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Mapping industry benefits of co-creating authentic learning resources

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The future professional

Many academics are aware of the benefits of using authentic learning resources to improve the student engagement and employability (Herrington et al., 2014). What our study shows is that industry professionals also recognise the value of authentic learning and are therefore willing to contribute their time to help students receive those benefits. Industry acknowledges that students need access to insights from professionals to be ‘career-ready’ graduates with an emerging professional identity (Trede et al., 2012). This need for work-ready graduates is also communicated in government and universities’ urgent narratives around employability (Tomlinson & Jackson, 2021). While there were elements of altruism in the way industry professionals described the motivation of improving the student experience beyond what they themselves had experienced, there was also acknowledgement that students who had exposure to authentic learning resources and diverse specialist industry perspectives would be better equipped to enter the profession and more quickly become effective future professionals.

Prior research shows that podcasts are more engaging than other didactic learning resources (Almeida-Aguiar & Carvalho, 2016). Our research shows that industry professionals also recognise the innovative, engaging and flexible nature of podcasts for students and were willing to co-develop them because podcasts are commonly used for professional development in a corporate environment (Casares Jr, 2022). In articulating the benefits for students entering the HR profession, industry professionals in our study acknowledged the consequent benefits ‘career-ready’ graduates provided both the organisation they represented and the profession.

The professional organisation

Access to talent and employer branding is a known benefit to organisations that engage in the higher education environment (Ankrah & Al-Tabbaa, 2015), including through guest lectures (van Hoek et al., 2011). Promoting their organisation and access to a potential talent pool were identified by only a few participants in this study. Others noted how co-creation of learning resources would strengthen their organisation’s relationship with the university and individual academics, which may provide future access to up-to-date research knowledge. This also aligns with firm-level university–industry collaboration research (D’Este & Patel, 2007). While professionals in our study also identified these organisational benefits, they afforded them less significance than the direct benefits to students in terms of developing career readiness, or the benefits to the profession as a whole. Rather, they placed greater emphasis on the longer-term benefits their organisation or industry may receive from shaping the learning of future professionals with ‘realistic’ practice-based organisational challenges. Additionally, they emphasised the professional development benefits derived from the deeper reflection on topics of importance to their organisation they experienced by participating in the podcast. Professionals in our study explained how co-creating podcasts gave them an opportunity to reflect upon and improve their own professional practice and consider how they might share these insights with and develop their own teams. The opportunity to refocus on the professional development of their own teams was discussed as a more immediate benefit to their organisation than access to future talent.

The professional self

Professionals’ reasons and motivations for creating the podcasts, and their experience of creating them, were underpinned by reflective practice that was perhaps a conscious decision but also tacit in their role as HRM professionals. Professional HR bodies recognise reflection as central to professional development for all professions, including HR practitioners (Griggs et al., 2018). Several participants noted the value they experienced by reflecting on their own professional practice and career. The research interview provided a further opportunity for reflection that enhanced their experience of co-creating the podcast and prompted them to think about how personal reflection had benefited them. This was an unanticipated benefit rather than a motivator, but it was important to industry professionals. They described it as a rare opportunity to reflect on the topic they were discussing more deeply, and on their own practice of that topic.

The reflective practice literature shows a strong correlation between deliberate reflection and improved professional practice (Boud et al., 2013; Schön, 1992), which explains why some professionals linked the opportunity for personal reflection to benefits for their teams and organisation. Reflective practice is recognised in the literature as important for continuing professional development in all professionals, but not something that all professionals have the opportunity to do (Schön, 1992). Participating in authentic learning resource development for higher education may therefore constitute a legitimate way of dedicating time to engaging in personal reflection, suggesting that it needs to be built into future co-creation, and identified at the outset of university–industry collaboration.

The professional community

Professional identity is defined as ‘a way of being and a lens to evaluate, learn and make sense of practice’ (Trede et al., 2012, p. 374). Industry professionals viewed students as nascent professionals who, during their degree, were in the process of constructing their professional identity. They therefore considered it part of their duty to the profession to foster the nascent professional identity of HRM students. The participants in this study recognised HRM students as vital to the sustainability and credibility of the future profession and wanted to ensure they were aware of the strategic importance of HR, the need to communicate this importance to others and the existence of a supportive professional community.

This concern for the future profession can be understood to speak to the professional project, and the desire to establish and maintain what is perceived to be competent and credible professional practice (Larson, 1977). For knowledge-based occupations, gaining ‘certified and credentialled’ (MacDonald, 1999, p. 161) knowledge provides students with entry to the profession, but it is not the only evidence of professionalism required. Professionalism incorporates the establishment of standards for knowledge acquisition and expectations of public service and altruism (Slater, 2019). This concern for service resonates with participants’ interest to build culture, share values and norms, and ultimately create a better HR profession. This suggests that industry experts recognise that students, as nascent professionals, have a role in ensuring that the HR profession is recognised as the authority on people management, effectively reflecting the social closure strategies associated with emerging and established professions (Slater, 2019).

Limitations

This study may be limited by the small sample size and the single disciplinary and institutional context. Recruitment of the sample was restricted to podcast participants, the majority of whom were part of at least one of the researchers’ existing professional networks.

It is important to note that participants were specifically asked about any problems or challenges they experienced in co-creating the podcasts, and for suggested improvements. Beyond minor technical or administrative issues with receiving transcripts or booking meeting times, no other challenges were identified. Although the research interviewer was not involved in the podcast co-creation process, the lack of critical commentary may reflect social desirability bias due to the participants’ existing relationship with the podcast researchers or the institution.

Conclusion

Involving current industry professionals in higher education learning resource creation is beneficial not just for students, universities and the organisations that experts represent but also for the professionals themselves. This study contributes to the university–industry collaboration literature, providing a framework for academics to understand and communicate the motivations and benefits to engage industry experts in co-creating authentic learning resources.

The four domains of benefits accruing to industry experts who co-create learning resources—benefits to students (future professionals), organisations, the professional self and the profession—are likely to apply to experts in different professions, varying by their relative importance according to the type of co-creation, the type of industry engagement, the profession or the professional. The findings of this study further suggest that improving the student experience beyond the industry participants’ own past experience was the most powerful motivator. While the development of work-readiness is now seen as a key mission of higher education by governments, employers and professions (Ashwin, P., 2022; Reid et al., 2008), this study suggests that building the future profession may be a stronger impetus for individual industry professionals to engage in co-development of learning resources for higher education students. Additionally, the reflective practice enabled through the co-creation process may benefit experts from other professions beyond HRM.

Future research may investigate the opportunities to explicitly build reflective practice into the development of learning resources and to explore how academics can encourage industry professionals to both reflect and communicate the value of reflective practice to students (Griggs et al., 2018).