Research agrees that a high performance organization (HPO) cannot exist without an elevated value placed on human resource management (HRM) and human resource development (HRD). However, a complementary pairing of HRM and HRD has not always existed. The evolution of HRD from its roots in human knowledge transference to HRM and present day HRD activities reveals that environmental, social, and political influences have escalated the need for organizations to focus employee development in the areas of flexibility, innovation, and capability. The following review illustrates the importance of HRM and HRD to organizational leadership. Furthermore, the research examined builds a close association between the attributes of a HPO and the skills transferred through an effective collaboration of HRM and HRD activities.