Synch Up for Results: New ASTD Study Shows When CLOs and Execs are in Synch the Business Benefits

Chief Learning Officers (CLOs) who have managed to integrate learning into the strategic fabric of their organizations do so by ensuring their efforts have a business impact. A new research study by ASTD and the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) reveals that the most successful CLOs are those whose first loyalty is to business impact, the single most important point of CEO alignment.

Understanding the organization's business goals is vital to CLOs who want their learning initiatives to be strategic drivers, according to the report Suite Synchronicity: Exploring the Relationship and Alignment between the CLO and the Executive Team. The report includes information garnered from CLOs in many industries who have successfully fostered and sustained positive and influential learning practices and relationships at high performing organizations. These learning leaders, from companies like UPS, Chick-fil-A, Adobe, and Qualcomm offer advice that is included in the report's recommendations, such as:

• Figure out what meets the business needs of your organization.

• Focus on the business not the CEO.

• Get as close as possible to strategy people and build relationships.

• Learn the business at the lowest level of the audience you're expected to impact.

• Keep communication flow open so the executive team is aware and the learning strategy keeps pace with objectives.

A whitepaper based on the full report Suite Synchronicity: Exploring the Relationship and Alignment between the CLO and the Executive Team is available free to ASTD members. The whitepaper and full report are available on the ASTD Store.