Harnessing Film for Leadership Development

In this episode of The Practitioner Scholar, a Penn Chief Learning Officer podcast, hosts Maria Luisa Underwood and Lisa-Marie Aird interview Dr. Douglas Clayton, a visionary in corporate learning and culture transformation. Dr. Clayton, founder and CEO of Leadership Filmworks LLC, shares his journey through the Penn CLO program and how it shaped his unique approach to leadership development using filmmaking. He discusses the importance of storytelling in corporate learning and introduces his evidence-based model, Total Recall, which enhances learning comprehension and retention through short films. Dr. Clayton recounts his formative experiences with film and storytelling, from childhood influences to his dissertation research, leading to significant findings on the impact of film in corporate settings.

The episode also explores his creative use of parodies and documentaries for leadership development and how emotional engagement and immersive technology can advance future CLO roles. Listeners gain insights into how storytelling and visual media can transform leadership training and corporate culture.