Three presentations are provided from Symposium 32, Core Directions in HRD (Human Resource Development), of the Academy of HRD 2000 Conference Proceedings. "Exploring the Convergence of Political and Managerial Cultures in the Dominican Republic: Implications for Management Development and Training" (Max U. Montesino) reports a survey of five work organizations, which shows that some indicators of authoritarian behavior identified in the context of the country's political culture are reflected in manager-subordinate relations at work. "The Types of Verbal Interactions and Impact of Gender in Corporate Training Sessions" (Frances L. Good, Gary N. McLean) discusses a study of verbal interactions in 13 selected training sessions using the INTERSECT Instrument, which found more than two-thirds of interactions were acceptance (the instructor's acknowledgement of a response); remediation accounted for about 21 percent, and praise, 11 percent of interactions. "Developing Human Potential through Anthropocentric Work Organization" (Jonathan Winterton) investigates HRD practice in four workplaces with different forms of work organization. A theoretical model is outlined for categorizing approaches to work organization in terms of level of skill and degree of autonomy. The paper reports work organization affects HRD and job satisfaction, and the most positive effects are associated with greater skill and autonomy. The papers contain reference sections. (YLB)