Learning Leaders Require Business Acumen: Instructional Design Professionals at the Corporate Leadership Table

Abstract

Noting the increase in shifting markets, technological changes, and unstable world politics, Clark and Gottfredson (2008: 4) make a compelling argument for individual and corporate learning: "to continuously acquire new knowledge and skills assets during or ahead of changes in the market." Their article contends that learning agility is the key to organizational success in the turbulent business environment of the twenty-first century. Within their argument, the need to understand business trends, marketing and global business practices is a leitmotif in the call for learning at every level of an organization. They predict that learning will expand from the purview of Chief Learning Officers (CLOs) and Human Resource departments to a responsibility shared with managers and front-line employees.