Despite the complex and evolving nature of the field, some initial steps have been taken toward arriving at consensus on the core purpose of HRD. At the 2000 Academy for Human Resource Development Conference,a small group of researchers and practitioners (the Performance/Integrity Workgroup) set out to understand and overcome the practical and philosophical diversity withinthe field and to reach consensus on the overarching purpose of HRD. The group agreed to the following statement: The purpose of HRD is to enhance learning, human potential and high performance in work-related systems. Although it is argued later in this chapter that this preliminary statement of core purpose must be expanded to include the concept of sustainable human development, this statement provides the crystallizing agent necessary for distilling the practice of HRD into a manageable and understandable framework of objectives. Building this framework, however, requires a clear understanding of terminology. Therefore the following definitions are offered.