The overarching goal of HRD interventions is to assist employees and organizations in attaining their goals. HRD professionals can help employees meet their personal goals by providing programs that promote individual development for example, career development, mentoring, and formal training and educational opportunities. HRD efforts are certainly not the only contributors to organizational performance; however, they are increasingly recognized as a critical component of organizational success.

A major focus of most HRD interventions is to provide employees with the skills and behaviors they need to perform successfully so that they can accomplish both personal and organizational goals. First we must understand the factors that cause employees to behave the way they do. Then we can more accurately diagnose performance problems and design HRD programs to foster the behavior we want. Identifying the causes of employee behavior is no easy task. The factors contributing to any behavior are numerous, complex, and difficult to ascertain.

A thorough understanding of employee behavior and its causes is critical for any HRD program to be effective.