Chief learning officer

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A chief learning officer (CLO) is the highest-ranking corporate officer in charge of learning management. CLOs may be experts in corporate or personal training, with degrees in education, instructional design, business or similar fields.

Contents

Qualified CLOs should be able to drive the corporate strategy and align the development of people with the business goals of the organization. A full complement of skills, including business analytics, technology, learning theory, performance consulting and scientific inquiry, are important for success. [1]

The CLO may report directly to the CEO, but may also report to the Head of HR or Chief Talent Officer.

Background

In the 1990s, Jack Welch, then CEO of GE, made Steve Kerr his CLO, making GE the first company to have such an officer. [2] Kerr also became the CLO and Managing Director for Goldman Sachs

Promotion

In 2012, Emma Cunis, executive director of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants spoke at a CLO summit held in Mumbai. Cunis was part of a panel that discussed the cost of not investing in executive learning and development. She quoted former General Electric CEO Jack Welch to make her case: "The Jack Welch of the future cannot be like me. I spent my entire career in the United States. The next head of General Electric will be someone who spent time in Bombay, in Hong Kong, in Buenos Aires…. We have to send our best and brightest overseas and make sure they have the training that will allow them to be global leaders who will make GE flourish in the future." [3]

Learning techniques

There are four types of learning techniques that may be employed by CLOs (Elkeles & Phillips, 2007): [4]

Coaching
Coaching refers to the training and development process wherein the CLO will support and train an individual or team in achieving a specific skill, competence, or goal. The individual or team receiving the coaching may be referred to as the coachee(s) (Flaherty, 2010). [5]
The higher value for a CLO, relative to coaching, is to create a culture of coaching. All managers should become proficient coaches, and data on personal performance and contribution should be available to them. The more informed they are, the better coaches they can be.
Engagement
Engagement refers to the process of being psychologically invested in the learning process. It is often seen as an indicator of success in learning and the CLO will often attempt to maximize engagement of students and measure engagement during a variety of different learning tasks in order to rate their effectiveness (Christenson et.al., 2012). [6]
Many CHROs have found the engagement surveys to be less than useful, because: they capture only a point in time, you tend to only find out what's wrong, the cycle time from survey to action is often long enough to make taking action irrelevant.
Mentoring
Mentoring refers to a personal development relationship in which one more experienced individual will assist a less experienced learning in acquiring a new skill, ability, or competency. This process involves communication and is relationship based. It may be said to include formal transfers of knowledge, social capital, and psychological support (Clutterbuck & Garvey, 2006). [7]
Management training
Management training activities are those activities which specifically relate to improving the management of people. CLOs may also be responsible for providing training and measuring success of skills and competencies related to management functions (Bonner, 2000). [8]

Measurement techniques

Measurement techniques refer to how CLOs measure learning outcome success. These may take several forms and can include standardized tests, one-to-one interviews and discussions with individuals receiving learning assistance, surveys and questionnaires, and measured competency at various tasks before and after the learning activity (Rani, 2004; Rauner & Maclean, 2008). [9] The aim of the use of these measurement techniques is to quantify the success of the learning activity. This allows the CLO to adapt learning activities in future to increase the level of successful outcomes (Jonassen et al., 2008). [10]

Technology used

A wide variety of different technologies may be used by CLOs in order to meet their learning objectives. Popular technologies used include the use of computer software to deliver lessons and tests. Additionally, internet based learning may be used to provide learning at remote locations and enable students to engage with lessons remotely (Iskander, 2008; Facer, 2011). [11]

Doctoral program

The University of Pennsylvania has their own Doctoral Program under their Graduate School of Education called the PennCLO Executive Doctoral Program. It specially prepares the Chief Learning Officers and other senior-level Human Capital Executives for success in their role as learning and talent development leaders. [12]

Additionally, in 2017, Vanderbilt University's Peabody College of Education and Human Development launched an online Doctor of Education in Leadership and Learning and Organizations which aims to train current and prospective Chief Learning Officers and learning leaders in the following three areas:

Data

There is scant data when it comes to the CLO position, considering that the position has only existed since 1991. In terms of salary, Indeed.com reports that the average salary is roughly $81,000 [13] per year, as of May 2015. According to a CLO survey conducted in April 2015, [14] roughly 45% of CLOs are female, which is a remarkably strong number for female representation in the c-suite. As a comparison, just 3% [15] of CEOs are female, according to Pricewaterhouse Coopers.

Role within the C-Suite

The chief learning officer often works alongside the CEO and collaborates on his or her vision for instituting learning and development initiatives throughout the company. Occasionally the CLO will work closely with the chief technology officer, because much of L&D involves technological advancement. The chief knowledge officer will also assist the CLO in disseminating knowledge for employees to learn and apply. The chief culture officer will assist the CLO with any culture-based programs or initiatives, though most companies do not have a CCO at the moment.


Related Research Articles

Instructional design (ID), also known as instructional systems design and originally known as instructional systems development (ISD), is the practice of systematically designing, developing and delivering instructional materials and experiences, both digital and physical, in a consistent and reliable fashion toward an efficient, effective, appealing, engaging and inspiring acquisition of knowledge. The process consists broadly of determining the state and needs of the learner, defining the end goal of instruction, and creating some "intervention" to assist in the transition. The outcome of this instruction may be directly observable and scientifically measured or completely hidden and assumed. There are many instructional design models, but many are based on the ADDIE model with the five phases: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation.

Professional development, also known as professional education, is learning that leads to or emphasizes education in a specific professional career field or builds practical job applicable skills emphasizing praxis in addition to the transferable skills and theoretical academic knowledge found in traditional liberal arts and pure sciences education. It is used to earn or maintain professional credentials such as professional certifications or academic degrees through formal coursework at institutions known as professional schools, or attending conferences and informal learning opportunities to strengthen or gain new skills.

Leadership development is the process which helps expand the capacity of individuals to perform in leadership roles within organizations. Leadership roles are those that facilitate execution of an organization's strategy through building alignment, winning mindshare and growing the capabilities of others. Leadership roles may be formal, with the corresponding authority to make decisions and take responsibility, or they may be informal roles with little official authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mentorship</span> Guidance relationship

Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and professional growth of a mentee. Most traditional mentorships involve having senior employees mentor more junior employees, but mentors do not necessarily have to be more senior than the people they mentor. What matters is that mentors have experience that others can learn from.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chartered Management Institute</span> Professional institution for management based in the United Kingdom

The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) is a professional institution for management based in the United Kingdom. It was founded as the British Institute of Management (BIM) in 1947 or 1948, merged with the Institution of Industrial Managers (IIM) in 1992 to form the Institute of Management (IM), and gained a royal charter, and its present name, in 2002.

The Open University of Israel is a distance-education university in Israel. It is one of ten public universities in Israel recognized by the Council of Higher Education (CHE). The Open University does not require a matriculation certificate, psychometric exam, or other entrance exam for admission to undergraduate studies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Experiential learning</span> Learn by reflect on active involvement

Experiential learning (ExL) is the process of learning through experience, and is more narrowly defined as "learning through reflection on doing". Hands-on learning can be a form of experiential learning, but does not necessarily involve students reflecting on their product. Experiential learning is distinct from rote or didactic learning, in which the learner plays a comparatively passive role. It is related to, but not synonymous with, other forms of active learning such as action learning, adventure learning, free-choice learning, cooperative learning, service-learning, and situated learning.

Bottega University is a for-profit, accredited distance learning university headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.

Learning Management is the capacity to design pedagogic strategies that achieve learning outcomes for students. The learning management concept was developed by Richard Smith of Central Queensland University (Australia) and is derived from architectural design and is best rendered as design with intent. Learning management then means an emphasis on ‘the design and implementation of pedagogical strategies that achieve learning outcomes. That is, in the balance between and emphasis on curriculum development and pedagogy, the emphasis is definitely on pedagogical strategies. Underpinning the learning management premise is a new set of knowledge and skills, collectively referred to as a futures orientation and which attempts to prepare the mindsets and skillsets of teaching graduates for conditions of social change that pervade local and global societies in the 2000s. The practitioner of learning management is referred to as a learning manager. Adjunct to the theory and practice of learning management is the Learning Management Design Process (LMDP). The LMDP is a curriculum planning process comprising 8 'learning design based' questions. The process was developed by Professor David Lynch of Central Queensland University in 1998 and is used primarily as a tool to train teachers to teach [3]. These 'eight questions' when answered in sequence focus the teacher to what is important when planning to teach students. The LMDP organizes its 8 questions through three sequential phases: Outcomes, Strategy, and Evidence. Each phase represents the bodies of information that its associated questions seek to pursue. The LMDP represents a rethink of the various curriculum development models that have predominated the planning of teaching and curriculum in the developed world over past decades. The teacher develops their 'teaching plan' by engaging with each phase and its questions and recording ‘findings’ in plan form.

This is an index of education articles.

Educational technology is the combined use of computer hardware, software, and educational theory and practice to facilitate learning. When referred to with its abbreviation, "EdTech," it often refers to the industry of companies that create educational technology. In EdTech Inc.: Selling, Automating and Globalizing Higher Education in the Digital Age, Tanner Mirrlees and Shahid Alvi (2019) argue "EdTech is no exception to industry ownership and market rules" and "define the EdTech industries as all the privately owned companies currently involved in the financing, production and distribution of commercial hardware, software, cultural goods, services and platforms for the educational market with the goal of turning a profit. Many of these companies are US-based and rapidly expanding into educational markets across North America, and increasingly growing all over the world."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Council for Educational Research</span> Educational research organization

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), established in 1930, is an independent educational research organisation based in Camberwell, Victoria (Melbourne) and with offices in Adelaide, Brisbane, Dubai, Jakarta, London, New Delhi, Perth and Sydney. ACER develops and manages a range of testing and assessment services and conducts research and analysis in the education sector.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to business management:

Personal development or self-improvement consists of activities that develop a person's capabilities and potential, build human capital, facilitate employability, enhance quality of life, and facilitate the realization of dreams and aspirations. Personal development may take place over the course of an individual's entire lifespan and is not limited to one stage of a person's life. It can include official and informal actions for developing others in roles such as teacher, guide, counselor, manager, coach, or mentor, and it is not restricted to self-help. When personal development takes place in the context of institutions, it refers to the methods, programs, tools, techniques, and assessment systems offered to support positive adult development at the individual level in organizations.

Communications training or communication skills training refers to various types of training to develop necessary skills for communication. Effective communication is vital for the success in various situations. Individuals undergo communications training to develop and improve communication skills related to various roles in organizations. Good executive communication helps garner trust between bosses and employees and between team leaders and their direct reports.

The Microtraining method is an approach aimed at supporting informal learning processes in organizations and companies. Learning in this sense means that an active process of knowledge creation is taking place within social interactions, but outside of formal learning environments or training facilities. This process can be facilitated by well-designed and structured systems and by supporting ways of communication and collaboration, like the Microtraining method does. A Microtraining arrangement comprises a time span of 15–20 minutes for each learning session, which can activate and maintain learning processes for a longer period if bundled into series. A Microtraining session can be held face-to-face, online or embedded in an e-learning scenario.

Learning analytics is the measurement, collection, analysis and reporting of data about learners and their contexts, for purposes of understanding and optimizing learning and the environments in which it occurs. The growth of online learning since the 1990s, particularly in higher education, has contributed to the advancement of Learning Analytics as student data can be captured and made available for analysis. When learners use an LMS, social media, or similar online tools, their clicks, navigation patterns, time on task, social networks, information flow, and concept development through discussions can be tracked. The rapid development of massive open online courses (MOOCs) offers additional data for researchers to evaluate teaching and learning in online environments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenny Dearborn</span> Author and business executive

Jenny Dearborn is an author, former chief talent officer and vice president at the software company, SAP, and founded Actionable Analytics Group in 2014. While working at SAP, she was acknowledged as one of the top 50 most powerful women in tech and won the title of Female Executive of the Year in 2017. Her book, Data Driven, ranked 7th out of the 11,000 business books published in 2015.

References

  1. Bersin by Deloitte: Today's World-Class Chief Learning Officer
  2. "Steve Kerr and His Years with Jack Welch at GE", Journal of Management Inquiry, December 2002, 11: 343-350
  3. "Wharton University: "India Learns the Value of the Chief Learning Officer"".
  4. Jack, Tamar, Phillips, Elkeles (18 January 2007). The Chief Learning Officer. Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN   9781136359163.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. Flaherty, James (2010). Coaching: Evoking Excellence in Others. Elsevier Inc. ISBN   9781856178167 . Retrieved 28 October 2014.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  6. Christenson, Wylie, Reschly, Sandra, Cathy, Amy (23 February 2012). Handbook of Research on Student Engagement. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN   9781461420170 . Retrieved 30 October 2014.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. Clutterbuck, Garvey, David, Bob (2006). Mentoring in Action: A Practical Guide for Managers. Kogan Page Publishers. ISBN   9780749444969 . Retrieved 30 October 2014.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. Bonner, Dede (2000). Leading Knowledge Management and Learning. American Society for Training and Development. ISBN   9781562861360 . Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  9. Rani, T. Swarupa (2004). Educational Measurement and Evaluation. Discovery Publishing House. ISBN   9788171418596 . Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  10. Jonassen, Spector, Driscoll, Merrill, Merrienboer, David, Michael, Marcy, M.David, Jeroen (25 September 2008). Handbook of Research for Educational Communications and Technology. Routledge. ISBN   9781135596910 . Retrieved 30 October 2014.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. Iskander, Magued (20 August 2008). Innovative Techniques in Instruction Technology, E-learning, E-assessment and Education. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN   9781402087394 . Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  12. "Chief Learning Officer Ed.D. Program | Penn GSE". www.gse.upenn.edu.
  13. "Indeed - Average Salary of a Chief Learning Officer". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  14. Learning, E. L. M. (April 20, 2023). "Chief Learning Officer (CLO): Job Description, Trends, and Salaries". ELM Learning.
  15. "CEO Success study" (PDF).

Sources