The position of Chief Learning Officer (CLO) is relatively new in business organizations, and little research has been conducted on this function. With the global proliferation of knowledge, the CLO assumes increasing importance for organizational success. This quantitative study explored CLOs' leadership styles and participation in strategic learning decision making. The study purpose was to determine whether significant relationships existed between learning executives leadership styles, their participation in strategic learning decisions, and salient demographic factors. A cross-sectional survey design was used to test seven hypotheses with learning executives from U.S. companies. A significant relationship was found between CLOs leadership styles and participation in strategic decision making, with statistically significant p values for transactional leadership (.034423) and laissez-faire leadership (-.18274).

Kenneth Goldsmith, M.P.A., J.D., D.B.A., is Department Head for Business at Chattanooga State Community College. He is the founder of the College's international business and scholar exchange programs.