2019 THE ROLE OF CLO WHAT’S NEXT? METHODOLOGY
Invitations to participate in the online survey were sent to CLO magazine subscribers at manager level and above in July- September 2019.
CLOs: N=376 Aspiring CLOs: N=165
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? CHIEF LEARNING OFFICERS THE CLO ROLE: DEFINED NOTE:
As a relatively young C-level position, Chief Learning Officer is still being defined and redefined. Not all CLOs come from a learning background and few people who manage the learning function have the CLO title.
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? HOW MANY CLOs HAVE THE TITLE CLO?
Director, learning and development 13.6%
Senior manager, learning and development 9.7%
Chief Learning Officer 7.8%
Head of learning and development 7.5%
Director level (other) 8.4%
0% 10% 20% 30% Titles with less than 5% of survey responses: Chief Human Resources Officer, Chief Talent Management Officer, Vice president (all other job titles), and Learning Architect
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? WHO DOES THE CLO REPORT TO?
CHRO (Chief Human Resources 27.8% Officer) CEO (Chief Executive Officer) 25.8%
COO (Chief Operating Officer) 6.9% CTMO (Chief Talent Management 2.6% Officer) Other 37.2%
0% 20% 40%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND BEFORE MANAGING THE LEARNING FUNCTION
Learning and Development 45.0%
General Management 33.6%
Human Resources 28.4%
The line business 28.4%
Talent Management 18.3%
Other 26.0%
0% 20% 40% 60%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? NOTE:
On average, CLOs have managed the learning function for 10 years.
On average, CLOs have worked in learning and development for 18 years.
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? WHAT METRICS ARE USED TO MEASURE CLO PERFORMANCE?
Business impact 67.6%
Employee engagement 66.9% Learning goals for the workforce aligned with 59.3% business goals Knowledge transfer 51.6%
Retention/attrition 41.1%
Employee efficiency 36.7%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? CLOs AND TECHNOLOGY HOW IS THE ROLE OF CLO CHANGING?
Increased use of technology 72.1%
Curating versus creating content 56.5%
Tasked with modernizing legacy processes 47.1%
Expanded audiences 44.9%
Outsourcing content 26.8%
Other 12.7%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? WILL YOUR ROLE AS CLO REQUIRE YOU TO INCREASE YOUR TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES IN THE FUTURE? YES NO 91.9% 8.1%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? NOTE:
In both 2018 and 2019, the number of CLOs who said their role would require an increase in technical competencies was over 90%. For 2019 we went deeper and asked which specific technical competencies CLOs thought they’d be required to learn.
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? WHAT SPECIFIC TECHNICAL COMPETENCIES WOULD YOU LIKE TO IMPROVE IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS? How to apply emerging technologies to 65.3% organizational learning
Learning analytics software 59.5%
Understanding data integration 52.9%
How to apply social technologies to 49.4% organizational learning How to apply mobile technologies to learning 41.3% delivery
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? CRITICAL TECHNOLOGY GAPS AMONG CLOs
Data/analytics 27.7%
Lack of data integration 23.1%
No LMS 18.1%
Outdated technology 15.0%
0% 20% 40%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? HOW MUCH IS LEARNING TECHNOLOGY OUTSOURCED?
Technology is entirely managed in-house 27.8%
Technology is mostly managed in-house, 37.8% with some outsourcing Technology is equally managed in-house 17.4% and outsourced
Technology is mostly outsourced 12.4%
Technology is entirely outsourced 4.6%
0% 20% 40%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? HOW SUCCESSFULLY DOES LEARNING PARTNER WITH THE IT DEPARTMENT?
Very Successfully 23.9%
Moderately successfully 46.2%
Slightly successfully 20.4%
Not very successfully 9.6%
0% 20% 40% 60%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? CLO DEVELOPMENT BEYOND TECHNOLOGY ESSENTIAL COMPETENCIES FOR CLO ROLE
Business acumen 46.5%
Influence/partnering 39.8%
Strategic management 36.1%
Leadership skills 31.6%
Learning methods and concepts 30.5%
Interpersonal skills 27.1%
High EQ 24.5%
0% 20% 40% 60%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? NOTE:
In 2018, CLOs identified their top 3 competencies as influencing, business acumen, and learning methods and concepts. While the numbers haven’t changed much for business acumen (43.2% in 2018) and strategic management (36.5% in 2018), influencing (55.2% in 2018) and learning methods and concepts (37.2%) dropped.
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? HOW CLOs DEVELOP THEMSELVES OUTSIDE OF DAILY WORK
Attend webinars 82.0% Network with peers 79.9% Read trade publications 77.5% Attend trade conferences 65.7% Participate in professional trade groups 48.1% Implement an individual development plan 43.9% Have one or more mentors 35.3% Have an executive coach 18.0% Other 12.1% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? ARE CERTIFICATIONS RELEVANT TO THE ROLE OF THE CLO?
Yes 19.3%
To some extent 58.6%
No 22.1%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? CERTIFICATIONS OF CLOs
SPHR (Senior Professional in Human Resources) 9.1% CPLP (Certified Professional in Learning and Performance) 7.3% PMP (Project Management Professional) 5.9%
SHRM-SCP (SHRM- Senior Certified Professional) 5.2%
PHR (Professional in Human Resources) 4.6%
CID (Certified Instructional Designer) 4.2%
I do not have any certifications 42.3%
Other 40.2%
0% 20% 40% 60%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? IN WHAT AREAS DO CLOs WANT FURTHER DEVELOPMENT TO IMPROVE THEIR PERFORMANCE?
Measuring the impact of learning 59.5%
Learning strategy 58.8%
Emerging learning technologies 57.4%
Organizational development and change 55.0% management
Organizational culture 45.0%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? THE LEARNING FUNCTION: PRESENT AND FUTURE STAKEHOLDERS/DECISION-MAKERS IN THE LEARNING FUNCTION
Executive team (C-Suite) 78.4%
Line of business heads 48.0%
CHRO 41.5%
Talent Management leader 21.9%
Governing Board 18.0%
Chief Technology Officer 9.5%
Other 9.2%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? GROUPS SERVED BY THE LEARNING FUNCTION
Internal employees 93.8%
External partners 30.7%
Clients 22.5%
Customers 20.6%
Suppliers 4.6%
Franchisees 2.6%
Other 6.9%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? OTHER HR FUNCTIONS MANAGED BY CLOs
Talent Management 38.8% Performance Management 35.8% Workforce Planning 25.8% Recruiting/Talent Acquisition 22.4% Diversity and Inclusion 21.4% Retention 19.1% Human Resources 17.1% Compliance 15.7% Benefits 11.0% None 28.8% 0% 20% 40% 60%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? IN THE NEXT 3-5 YEARS, WILL THE CLO MANAGE A DEPARTMENT THAT IS:
The same structure as it is 29.4% now
More centralized 27.8%
More decentralized 21.4%
More outsourced 10.5%
The CLO role will not exist 3.6%
0% 20% 40%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? WHERE DO CLOs SPEND THE MAJORITY OF THEIR TIME RELATED TO CURRICULUM?
Managing and delivering existing curriculum 42.3% my team has created
Curating curriculum from outside sources 29.0% and overseeing the delivery
Setting up on-demand learning avenues for 28.7% employees
0% 20% 40% 60%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? CLOs: WHERE ARE THEY GOING? NEXT LIKELY CAREER MOVE FOR CLOs
Remain CLO 30.8%
Consulting 17.4%
Thought leader CLO 15.8%
CHRO 7.7%
0% 20% 40%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? ASPIRATIONAL CAREER GOALS FOR CLOs
Thought leader CLO 28.3%
Consulting 18.2%
Remain CLO 14.2%
Owner/Founder 11.3%
CHRO 10.5%
CEO/COO 4.9%
0% 20% 40%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? FUTURE COMPETENCIES NEEDED FOR DEVELOPMENT OF CLOs
Strategic management 46.5%
Measurement/analytics 41.3%
Influence/partnering 36.4%
Executive leadership 33.8%
Business acumen 32.0%
Executive presence 22.7%
Learning methods and concepts 20.8%
0% 20% 40% 60%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? NOTE:
In 2018, 44% CLOs identified influencing as the top future competency they would need for their role.
In 2019, they identify strategic management (46.5%) and measurement (41.3%) as the critical competencies needed for the future.
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? WHAT’S NEXT? WHAT ASPECT OF THE ROLE DID CLOs FEEL LEAST PREPARED FOR?
Working with metrics/ROI 27.5%
Obtaining budget 18.3%
Using learning technology 17.2%
Obtaining leadership buy-in 8.4%
Influencing others in my organization 8.4%
0% 20% 40%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? NOTE:
This question was new for 2019. Working with metrics seems to be something CLOs aren’t prepared for. This could point to metrics/analytics being a more alien concept than influencing by the time someone assumes the role. Influencing is hard, but they’re familiar with it. Analytics they’re unfamiliar with.
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? CHALLENGES CLOs ARE FACING
Gaps in specialized talent 81.9% 18.1%
Lack of budget 63.7% 36.3%
Aging workforce 58.6% 41.4%
Lack of leadership buy-in 53.6% 46.4%
Disruptive technology threatening survival 52.9% 47.1% Increasing demands of 49.8% 50.2% transparency/authenticity 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% High/Medium Priority Low/No priority
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? WHO ARE THE MENTORS FOR THE NEXT-GEN CLOs?
Someone outside their organization 66.7% Higher management employee in their 37.5% division Higher management employee outside their 34.7% division Co-worker outside their division 18.1%
Co-worker inside their division 13.9%
Other 1.4%
0% 20% 40% 60% 80%
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? What’s the biggest change to the CLO role in the next 3-5 years? Scope of the Role: • “The delivery method will be more dynamic and there will need to be an understanding of how to build instructional design methodology into these new delivery methods.” • “Increased focus on the entire employee lifecycle, incorporating DEI and purpose into all levels of an organization.” Technology: • “Managing more shared technology infrastructure and roadmaps in collaboration with a networked learning function.” Alignment/Business Needs: • “Managing the constant growth with scarce resources.” • “Increased demand to show proof that technology training provided online equates to improved performance.” • “Increased focus on behavior change outcomes from L&D.”
THE ROLE OF CLO: WHAT’S NEXT? Sarah Kimmel Vice President, Research Chief Learning Officer [email protected] www.chieflearningofficer.com