Leadership Influence on Corporate Change Involving Distance Training

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Corporate learning leaders require a unique set of skills to sustain learning programs within their organizations. Leaders must have well-planned strategies and clear direction for learning initiatives. They must understand their organization as well as their learners, and be able to skillfully deploy appropriate learning technologies. A network of relationships must be built and nurtured by corporate learning leaders to promote and sustain their programs. Leaders must adhere to well-defined procedural standards related to programs, budgets and change management. They must understand changing trends in leadership paradigms across organizational cultures. Effective corporate learning leaders must skillfully combine relationships, process, and support while continually transforming their organizations and expanding learning initiatives. Leadership Influence on Corporate Change Involving Distance Training The success and endurance of good corporate distance education programs is dependent on the strategies and strengths of good leaders. Capable leaders are necessary to all organizations. What traits and skills must good corporate learning leaders have in order to establish and sustain flourishing distance learning programs? Certainly these leaders require the skill sets of all good leaders vision, purpose, the drive to succeed, the ability to motivate others, solutions-orientation, and risk-taking. Learning leaders in these organizations require additional characteristics and skills, which can be categorized in terms of vision, relationship-building, and operational discipline (see Table 1). Table 1. Learning Leaders' Skill Domains Vision Relationship Building Operational Practice Where the business is going Senior executive management Program management discipline Strategies to develop and expand employee learning Own training department Prioritization processes Technology infrastructure support of learning plan Internal business units Technology standards for elearning Budget Information Technology Vendor standards Risk taking Communications Change management Understanding adult learners External Customers Developing a learning culture Peer Network