Organizations, whether they be private, public or NGO, must operate among and in cooperation with people. This is especially true within the service sector such as public organizations. Because they are mainly labor intensive, they are judged on the basis of the performance of their human resources. This study develops a conceptual framework by which to assess the effectiveness of human resource (HR) development and utilization practices in the public sector. This study argues that the most important question for human resource development (HRD) professionals is not how many employees are trained/developed, but how they are trained/developed, retained, and utilized. HRD programs are necessary, but not sufficient, for effective HR management. Presupposing effective utilization of HRM initiatives is an important aspect of HRM, no discussion of HRD would be complete without considering the role of HR utilization. For better understanding of HRD and utilization within public service organizations, there is also a need to take into account the wider contexts within which they operate