This document provides an introduction and overview of human resource development and organizational effectiveness. It discusses the historical perspectives of human resource development, defining human resources as a complex set of interrelated assets. It outlines some of the early developments in the field including scientific management theories of Taylor and time motion studies of Gilbreth. It then discusses the important Hawthorne studies from the 1920s which shifted the perspective to consider social factors and view workers as more than just machines. The introduction sets up the focus of the document on exploring the relationship between human resource development and organizational effectiveness.