Co-Creating Human Resource Development in Traditional Craft Communities: A Multisite Study in Indonesia

Abstract

Traditional craft communities often have to balance two needs: Developing the business side of their activities while retaining the practical knowledge and cultural meaning attached to the craft itself. This study looks at that issue through university–microenterprise collaboration in two Indonesian rattan craft communities. The research followed an interpretive, qualitative, multisite case-study approach and involved five informants directly involved in the collaboration. The study used interviews, participant observation, and relevant project documents. The material was then examined thematically, with both theory-guided and data-driven coding, before patterns from the two sites were compared. Collaboration in the two communities took place through a range of activities rather than a single program. These included training, mentoring, work on product and design development, digital marketing, applied research, and student participation. In describing their experiences, participants noted changes in product quality, design, pricing, customer communication, product presentation, and their use of digital tools. Knowledge also moved in both directions. University participants brought perspectives from management, design, and technology, while artisans drew on their own experience with rattan materials, production methods, cultural meanings, and the practical question of whether new ideas could actually be produced. The findings also show that collaboration continued only when the relationship was managed well. Trust, local coordination, repeated interaction, adaptable learning materials, and continued support helped sustain the learning process. By contrast, limited funding, project-team changes, differences in digital capability, innovation costs, and weak shared evaluation created difficulties. Overall, the study shows that community-based human resource development in traditional craft settings can be understood as a reciprocal learning process in which academic knowledge and artisans’ experience are brought together across institutional boundaries.