The Center for Creative Leadership developed the 70-20-10 concept over 40 years ago. But how well does it actually describe how people learn?
A strong learning culture is vital for workplace success, fostering innovation, adaptability, and employee engagement. The 70-20-10 model offers a proven framework to support this by balancing experiential, social, and formal learning opportunities.
This guide explores the principles of the 70-20-10 model and how to implement it in your organisation to maximise training impact and drive continuous improvement.
The 70-20-10 model is a framework for corporate learning that divides learning experiences into three categories:
It is based on a survey conducted in 1996 asking nearly 200 executives to self-report how they believed they learned. In this survey, respondents reported the following influences on learning:
By prioritising experiential learning, employees gain practical skills that are directly applicable to their roles.
Social learning encourages employees to learn from their peers, creating a supportive and innovative workplace culture.
While formal learning provides foundational knowledge, the model ensures it is reinforced and expanded through practice and peer interaction.
Finding appropriate opportunities to learn new skills on the job while providing adequate support can be a challenge, particularly if the current workplace culture is falling short.
If current observable behaviours are undesirable, this may actually undermine change. However, integrating development planning to change management and the strategic goals of the company is a potential solution.
Experiential learning is at the core of the 70-20-10 model. Organisations must provide hands-on tasks, opportunities and challenges for employees to learn by doing.
Social learning leverages the collective knowledge and experience within your organisation. It happens through collaboration, feedback, and mentorship.
While the model minimises the role of formal learning, it remains a critical foundation for building skills and knowledge. The key is to ensure these sessions are concise, relevant, and engaging.
Unstructured training is often difficult to approach because it has no formal process. It depends on the type of work being done by potential leaders at any given time. However, it is possible to design a general framework around which learning can take place.
Encourage learners to conduct a self-assessment to identify desired behaviours and any development required to fill the gap. There are two types of action plans that participants need to address when undergoing workplace training:
Finally, it’s essential to include methods to ensure the accountability of participants. Managers should expect to spend at least five hours working with leadership candidates, reviewing their action plans.
They should also ensure they are passed up the chain of command to supervisors higher up in the company. This ensures that projects are challenging enough and they are aligned with cultural change.
Achieving the right mix between experiential, social and formal learning can be difficult. Regularly evaluate your programmes to ensure employees are receiving adequate exposure to all three elements.
Social and experiential learning can be harder to quantify than formal training. To assess their effectiveness, use qualitative measures like feedback surveys and 360-degree reviews.
Employees and managers may initially resist the shift towards less structured learning. Provide clear communication about the benefits of this model and offer support during the transition.
LXPs enable employees to explore personalised learning paths that combine formal courses, on-the-job tasks, and social interactions.
Platforms like Microsoft Teams or Slack facilitate social learning through easy communication and knowledge sharing.
Tools such as on-demand job aids or how-to videos help employees learn as they work, boosting experiential learning.
70-20-10 is just one of six of the most well-established learning theories we've examined to help improve your outcomes.
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