Human resource development (HRD) can be seen as both a professional field and an organizational function; the I-A framework introduced in this article is a heuristic that enables us to understand HRD from both of these perspectives. Although scholars have presented frameworks for understanding the underlying theories, philosophies, and meanings of HRD, no framework has been presented to help researchers and practitioners understand the actions they take in the name of HRD. The framework introduced here is an action-oriented conceptual approach to social systems that answers the call for a different means for understanding HRD. (Contains 1 figure and 1 table.)