Executive Program in Work-Based Learning Leadership
Snapshot of the CLO as Strategic Partner

ASTD and the University of Pennsylvania surveyed 92 learning executives from companies that ranged in size from $10 million to $200 billion in revenue. They had training budgets from $1 million to $100 million and between 100 and 50,000 employees. The survey found an increasingly strategic role for learning leaders:

• The position: Only 14 percent use "CLO" as their title, while 80 percent are either "director" or "vice president" of training and/or learning. Nearly two-thirds reported to human resources. The average tenure was five years, and 58 percent had their own corporate universities.
  
  
• What they do: The top areas of activity reported were strategy development and planning (70%), communication with executives (48%), management of learning staff (43%), communication with lines of business (37%), and performance improvement (18%). The executives also reported on what they would like to be their greatest tasks (see chart).
  
  
• Challenges: The challenges most commonly cited by the respondents were communicating/measuring value (31%), resource constraints (28%), responding to change (11%), alignment/integration (10%), and learning governance (6%).
  
  
• Accomplishments: The most important areas of accomplishment were extending scope, output, and reach (38%), implementing key learning initiative (29%), increased perception/demonstration of value (27%), e-learning (9%), and aligning with business strategy (6%).
  
  
• Evaluation: Learning executives were evaluated based most heavily on alignment with business strategy (71%), contribution to business value (69%), efficiency of learning function (45%), budget management (37%), and employee performance improvement (28%).
  
  
• Educational needs: The areas where they would like to learn more include human performance improvement (40%), measurement and evaluation (40%), strategic planning (34%), learning technology (34%), and articulating value (28%). In addition, the executives cited the need for workplace learning and leadership development, talent management, financial and business acumen, salesmanship, marketing, negotiations, and influence skills.

Based on responses from Conference Board Council CLO members, the study spotlighted the top five skills necessary for success as a CLO:

• Leadership (58%)
• Articulating value (54%)
• Business acumen (40%)
• Strategic planning (40%)
• Knowledge of the company or industry (35%)

To ensure that they are prepared with the appropriate skills for their role as CLO, these learning leaders are developing their skills and competencies through:

• Building personal, team, and organizational capabilities in analytics
• Participating in Communities of Practice (Conference Board and LearnShare)
• Attending professional programs and conferences (ASTD, CLO, Training, Masie)
• Following current research and literature (trade magazines, Corporate Leadership Council)
• Greater exposure to company line operations, and site tours, interviews, and "face time" with customers

Learning leadership is more important than ever in a world of more volatile employment relationships. Between the 1950s and today, the average tenure of a Fortune 500 executive dropped from 24 years to less than three years. With more outsourcing and contract work, "make versus buy" decisions are more complex. And competitive pressures create new demands to justify investments in learning.