The Transformer CLO

In today's fast-changing business environment, employees' continual development is essential. That's leading to a new and more powerful role for chief learning officers: They're not just trainers anymore; they're transformers who are reshaping organizational capabilities and culture. The authors interviewed CLOs at 19 large companies and found that transformers are revamping their organizations' learning goals, learning methods, and learning departments. Their efforts offer a road map for anyone wishing to build a stronger workforce. With respect to learning goals, the aim should be not just to teach employees specific skills but to cultivate broader capabilities, including strong leadership, digital literacy, and a growth mindset. With respect to learning methods, the trend is to move away from traditional classroom instruction and adopt approaches that can provide learning to more employees, in more-customized ways. (Think online and audio courses, videoconferencing, interactive simulations, and formal opportunities for employees to reflect on and apply what they've been taught.) Finally, with respect to transforming learning departments, the key is to make them leaner, more agile, and more strategic by curating useful external content, encouraging peer teaching, measuring the impact of training, and providing tools to tailor learning plans to individuals.

• Personal growth and transformation
• Employee training
• Hiring and recruitment
• Organizational learning
• Organizational behavior