What is a Chief Learning Officer (CLO)?

A Chief Learning Officer, also known as a CLO, is responsible for the training and development of a company's employees at an organizational level. Their job is to create and implement comprehensive training plans that cover everything from onboarding new employees to training on new technologies and methods.

Instead of working with young people in a classroom, a CLO focuses on educating and shaping an organization's workforce through online and classroom training. They take a holistic approach to training and talent development, understanding that learning is an ongoing process that spans an employee's entire tenure with the company.

From onboarding new employees to training on new technologies or methodologies, a CLO looks at training from a holistic perspective with the understanding that learning should never stop.

Extended responsibilities of the Chief Learning Officer

The tasks of a CLO are extensive and multi-faceted. They must act as facilitators, trainers, ambassadors, mediators, strategists, technologists and mentors for key professionals. CLOs are responsible for integrating learning into everyday working life and providing the necessary technologies, processes and resources.

New key roles for CLOs

Today, CLOs are critical to future-proofing an organization by fostering a culture of continuous growth, skills development and upskilling.

This need has been particularly evident in recent years, shaped by continuous disruption due to the pandemic, the rise of digital business models, new approaches to service delivery, advances in artificial intelligence and the need for new leadership skills to manage decentralized teams in a digital environment

A study by Skillsoft identified five key areas of responsibility for successful CLOs:

1. Building a centralized and scalable L&D organization

For large organizations, it is not always possible to fully centralize the Learning & Development (L&D) function. However, it is critical not to reinvent the L&D function in every department and design it without connection to other parts of the organization. Effective CLOs clearly define central and regional services and programs as well as the needs of each business unit. This model allows strategic programs and investments to be prioritized, while local or vertical training offerings can be supplemented.

Companies that implement such L&D unification often discover redundant systems in their operations.

2. Strategic alignment with corporate goals

In order to accurately assess future skills requirements and align learning programs, CLOs must work closely with company management. They must adapt to changing market requirements, organizational structural changes and transformations in working styles and team leadership.

Understanding future job roles and their requirements is essential. CLOs also need to understand how the dynamics of supply and demand for talent are changing, which requires close collaboration with HR departments. They often work directly with production, sales, development and other business units to align L&D initiatives with business strategies.

3. Technical integration and skills taxonomies

Another important task of CLOs is the creation of skills taxonomies - classification schemes that help companies to plan future skills requirements. The corporate learning landscape is becoming increasingly data- and technology-driven. With numerous training tools available, employees can learn on demand, on the fly or through structured development programs. CLOs manage these complex processes and integrate them with HR data, IT infrastructure and job architecture.

4. Creating positive learning experiences

Every organization has a learning culture (or lack thereof) that is often at odds with the daily demands of work. Successful CLOs understand that continuous learning is not defined by the number of programs, but by the quality of positive learning experiences. The learning opportunities designed by CLOs should motivate employees to adapt to new demands, improve and innovate. They also democratize learning and make it accessible to all employees.

Corporate learning is a constant challenge as people learn in many different ways. Effective CLOs encourage their teams to explore new learning methods and delivery approaches. This requires familiarity with the latest technologies that enable novel approaches to learning and the creation of content that is tailored to the diverse needs of employees in different departments.

5. Actively shaping the corporate culture

In many ways, CLOs are also “corporate culture leaders” who embody values such as diversity, equality, inclusion and empowerment of all employees. Almost every large organization today faces the need to adapt to changing market demands, transform its products and services and train its workforce accordingly. This means that CLOs need to understand corporate culture and values and their impact on compensation systems.

CLOs are also required to raise issues with Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs) and Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) that may not be working. Often, a company's inability to adapt to market changes or internal challenges is due to a failure to recognize changes within the market or organization. Learning from mistakes and reinventing for the future is equally important.

Conclusion on the CLO

The role of the Chief Learning Officer has evolved to meet the dynamic demands of modern organizations. CLOs are critical to creating agile learning environments, aligning with business strategies and shaping a culture of continuous growth and innovation. By taking on these expanded responsibilities, CLOs can ensure that their organizations remain competitive and resilient in a rapidly changing world.