Caroline and others,
I'm in the process of conducting a study of CLO's, and have done a pretty
thorough literature search of related topics. I tend not to think of CLOs
and CKOs as the same beast. A brief note from my lit. review:
Since Willis (1991) argued for the creation of the position of "Chief
Learning Officer" (CLO), a growing number of organizations have created
and filled this role. This position can be considered a new position in
organizations, quite distinct from the more traditional "Chief Information
Officer" (Davenport, 1995). The role of the Chief Information Officer
generally entails the strategic use and the general management of
information technology and information systems (S. Rosen, personal
communication, December 1998), whereas the role of the CLO entails the
promotion and facilitation of learning at all levels within organizations
(Willis & May, 1996). In organizations where CLO positions have been
established, organizational learning is coming to be understood as primary
to organizational functioning and goal attainment.
Another relatively new position, that of the Chief Knowledge Officer
(CKO), is sometimes mistakenly understood to be similar to that of the
Chief Learning Officer. The functions of the positions are distinct and
quite different. Stewart (1998) states: "The difference is
philosophical....CLOs tend to talk about training, leadership development,
and change management; CKOs speak about leveraging intellectual capital,
knowledge worker productivity, and networks" (p. 155). From this
perspective, CKOs can be seen as responsible for knowledge as a commodity,
whereas CLOs are responsible for knowledge as a developmental process.
Although this interpretation may be open to debate, I hope it adds some
clarity. I'm happy to correspond through my personal e-mail with anyone
seeking more info. Incidentally, I've not found it easy to locate CLO's,
despite all the speculation that their numbers are growing.
Robin
--Robin Lackey <robinl@theramp.net>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>