The Added Value of a Chief Learning Officer to an Organization
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St. John Fisher College Fisher Digital Publications Education Masters Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education 2009 The Added Value of a Chief Learning Officero t an Organization James VonBramer St. John Fisher College Follow this and additional works at: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_ETD_masters Part of the Education Commons How has open access to Fisher Digital Publications benefited ou?y Recommended Citation VonBramer, James, "The Added Value of a Chief Learning Officero t an Organization" (2009). Education Masters. Paper 273. Please note that the Recommended Citation provides general citation information and may not be appropriate for your discipline. To receive help in creating a citation based on your discipline, please visit http://libguides.sjfc.edu/citations. This document is posted at https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_ETD_masters/273 and is brought to you for free and open access by Fisher Digital Publications at St. John Fisher College. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Added Value of a Chief Learning Officero t an Organization Document Type Thesis Degree Name MS in Human Resource Development Department Education Subject Categories Education This thesis is available at Fisher Digital Publications: https://fisherpub.sjfc.edu/education_ETD_masters/273 Added Value of a CLO Running head: The Added Value of a CLO The Added Value of a Chief Learning Officer to an Organization By James Von Bramer B.S. May 2000, State University of New York at Geneseo A final project submitted to The Faculty of The Graduate School of Human Resource Development of St. John Fisher College in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Added Value of a CLO Dedication I dedicate this capstone project to my parents William and Susan VonBramer as well as my significant other Amy Henninger. Their belief in my work and constant encouragement propelled me to accomplish my goal of completing this program. They were the guiding force, as they understood my struggles yet pushed me to see it through to the end. Added Value of a CLO Acknowledgements I would like to take a moment to acknowledge two individuals for their role in the completion of my project. Thank you to the faculty of the St. John Fisher Human Resource Development Program. I worked for quite awhile to complete the capstone project and ultimately complete the program successfully. Dr. Tim Franz was able to keep in contact with me as I took my time to complete the program requirements. I will be forever grateful for his constant and influential communications. Dr. Seth Silver was instrumental in providing much needed encouragement, feedback, reminders and overall advisement. Without his direction and leadership, the completion of my capstone project would not have been possible. Added Value of a CLO Master Signature Page Dr. Seth Silver, Advisor Signature: Dr. Tim Franz, Faculty Reader Signature: Dan McCarthy, Reader Signature: Added Value of a CLO Table of Contents Chapter 1……………………………………………………………………………1 Overview of Problem……………………………………………………..............1 Problem Statement………………………………………………………………..2 Purpose of the Study……………………………………………………………... 3 Research Questions……………………………………………………………….3 Significance of the Study…………………………………………………………3 Methodology……………………………………………………………………...3 Definition of Key Terms………………………………………………………….4 Chapter 2……………………………………………………………………………6 Literature Review…………………………………………………………………6 Chapter 3……………………………………………………………………………33 Implications……………………………………………………………………….34 Considerations for Employers……………………………………………….........36 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………….. 38 References…………………………………………………………………………..41 Added Value of a CLO Chapter 1 Overview of Problem Over the past decade, many companies have begun to focus on organizational learning and how it directly influences organizational effectiveness. Organizations have shifted from traditional methods of training and development such as classroom lectures and broad based training methods, to technology based learning programs and building integrated learning environments. These new programs and environments are dynamic and equipped to adapt to changes. As a result, more organizations are beginning to understand the role of organizational learning from a global perspective and how it affects productivity, employee retention and overall organizational effectiveness. Organizational effectiveness is a measure of an employers’ ability to achieve their goals (The Bureau of National Affairs, 2006). Human Resource Vice Presidents and similarly titled executives have been a guiding factor in enabling organizational effectiveness and learning. These professionals have continued to develop new skills, responsibilities and competencies as organizational strategies and visions have evolved. Schwandt and Marquardt (2000) describe learning organizations in a world that is constantly and rapidly changing. The long-term success of organizations seems to rely on understanding their learning patterns in response to internal and external changes. To assume greater control of their own actions, organizations learn to react to changes in their environment and how they come to question their own processes and procedures. According to Schwandt and Marquardt, literature on organizational theory and practices has been increasingly concerned with the ability of organizations to learn to cope with the escalating rate of change and complexity of organizational environments. One way that Added Value of a CLO 2 organizations can proactively manage this change and better prepare for the future is by employing a Chief Learning Officer. A Chief Learning Officer is typically a corporate executive in charge of employee training, education and learning (Lustig, 2003). Chief Learning Officers encourage their employers to investigate what competencies will make their workforce successful and then align development programs with their strategic objectives to internal and external changes. They also create an environment in which learning is readily available to employees and try to determine what return on investment can be measured after learning occurs (Jossi, 1998). A vital responsibility of a Chief Learning Officer is building the foundation of an organization’s learning culture, as well as continuously modifying the programs to stay ahead of the constantly changing business learning environment. Problem Statement Organizations have continued to seek out new ways to improve the development, training and retention of their employees in an effort to remain competitive in a dynamic market. Over the past two decades, organizational learning has become a critical focus for some organizations in their effort to adapt to change and remain competitive. With the emergence of the “C-level” title for various leaders of organization functions, the Human Resource Development field has created a new title, Chief Learning Officer, or CLO. However, there is very little literature or research that discusses the roles, competencies, strategies, and accomplishments as well as challenges that a Chief Learning Officer faces while working within an organization. Therefore, there is a need for a literature review that examines the role of a Chief Learning Officer and the added value an organization receives by having a CLO. Added Value of a CLO 3 Purpose of the Study The purpose of this literature review is to analyze and define the roles, competencies and responsibilities of a Chief Learning Officer as well as determine if a CLO has a significant impact on organizational learning and organizational effectiveness. Research Questions 1. What is a Chief Learning Officer? 2. How do organizations use CLOs? 3. What is the impact of a CLO on an organization’s effectiveness? 4. What challenges do CLOs face? 5. What is the career path of a CLO and how might a human resource professional be developed for a CLO role? Significance of the Study The significance of the study is to understand if the creation of a CLO position will positively affect an organization’s learning goals, strategies and ultimately its effectiveness. Human Resource Development professionals, Human Resource academics, Chief Executive Officers and Boards of Directors will all directly benefit from this literature review, as it will provide them with more insight on the vital importance of becoming a learning organization, and how a CLO can make this happen. Methodology In order to address the earlier noted research questions, literature is reviewed discussing the roles, competencies, visions and strategies of CLO’s and their impact on an organization. Specifically, reviewing the literature helps to understand fully the evolution of the Chief Learning Officer role and determine if it positively influences Added Value of a CLO 4 organizational learning and business objectives. The findings of this literature review serve to clarify the role of a Chief Learning Officer and present the added value that these new “Chief’s” bring to an organization. Definition of Key Terms CLO: A Chief Learning Officer is a corporate officer in charge of employee training, education and learning (Elkeles & Phillips, 2007). CEO: A Chief Executive Officer is the highest-ranking corporate officer, administrator, corporate administrator, executive, or executive officer, in charge of total management of a corporation, company, organization or agency (Elkeles & Phillips, 2007). COO: A Chief Operating Officer is one of the highest ranking members of an organization,