Abstract:
Seemingly Western literature and Eastern literature of Human Resource Management
(HRM) reveal a gap in the theoretical knowledge as well as the empirical knowledge in
respect of Individual Character (IC) and human resource development through character
building. Studies will have to be carried out in order to develop a pragmatic framework
of describing character and explaining its dynamics; a logical model of explaining the
relationship between character and HRM; and a pragmatic framework of character
development at the micro (organizational) level. Though there are several research
questions which need to be answered systematically and scientifically, the objective of
this research paper was to explore what IC means, whether IC differs from the concept of
so called personality and why IC is important, specially in current Sri Lankan context.
Ostensibly, the approach of the paper was reflective and descriptive. IC was defined as
the aggregate of all of the relatively persistent moral qualities a person has that
combines to form his/her real nature. It is the degree to which the person possesses the
virtues and do not possess the vices. Virtues are to be nurtured within the individual
while vices are to be removed from the individual for the purpose of developing IC. It
was asserted that IC was not the so called personality and it differed significantly from
personality in several ways. It was substantiated by literature that IC is of utmost
importance for individual development, organizational development and nation
development as well.
