70-20-10: Is it a Viable Learning Model?

The 70-20-10 process is a learning and development model developed by Michael Lombardo
and Robert Eichinger (2000) that uses a three blend approach to provide a development
platform for senior managers and leaders:

• About 70% of learning is provided through the use of challenging assignments and on-
the-job experiences.
• About 20% of learning is developed through relationships, networks, and feedback.
• About 10% of the learning is delivered via formal training processes.

As Jay Cross (2011) wrote the model is a prescriptive method for developing leaders :

“The 70-20-10 model is more prescriptive. It builds upon how people internalize and apply what
they learn based on how they acquire the knowledge.”

The Center for Creative Leadership (2011), where 70-20-10 was developed, also writes that the
model is indeed prescriptive:

“A research-based, time-tested guideline for developing managers says that you need to have
three types of experience, using a 70-20-10 ratio: challenging assignments (70 percent),
developmental relationships (20 percent) and coursework and training (10 percent).”

Some have been calling for 70-20-10 to be the new learning model for across the organization,
however, since is a prescriptive remedy for developing managers to senior and executive
positions, it does not mean that it is a useful model for developing skills in the daily learning
and work flows that takes place within organizations because it is being applied in an entirely
different context than what it was designed for.

Parts or perhaps all of 70-20-10 may be useful for developing professionals other than senior
managers, but since the learning ratios vary greatly between various groups of learners (and
even individual learners within a group), one has to be very careful about taking this approach.

http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/media/70-20-10.html
70-20-10 Learning Model

Using the Ratios

The reason the 70-20-10 model is not easily transferable to the typical learning and daily work
flows that occur in organizations is because the ratio of informal to formal learning varies with
context. For example, the Informal Learning Blog lists some resources on the ratios of of
informal learning verses formal learning and the numbers vary greatly. The best researched
numbers show an average of 70% informal learning and 30% formal learning. For example:

1. The largest and most comprehensive study is by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Labor (1996). Their research found that an average of 30% of the learning needs
come from formal learning, while informal learning averages about 70%, thus it differs greatly
from the ratios that the 70-20-10 model prescribe.

2. These numbers are averages, thus the ratios depend greatly on context, such as the learners'
type of job, skill level, organization changes, etc. For example, Loewenstein and Spletzer (1998)
who performed another comprehensive study for the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S.
Department of Labor discovered that learning varies from about 13% to 46% for formal learning
and 9% to 96% for informal learning (p.40, table2).

3. When one looks at the ratios that show lower levels for formal learning, there is no or very
little research. For example, the second one on the list is Raybould (2000), who writes that,
“many organizations report that 85-90% of a person’s job knowledge is learned on the job, and
only 10-15% is learned in formal training events” (p.8). However, the author does not reference
any research to back up his claims.

Page 2 of 5
70-20-10 Learning Model

The 10% Amplifier Effect

Although training is seen as contributing just 10 percent (actually 9-15%) of a leader's
development in the 70-20-10 model, it has what is known as the “amplifier effect”—formal
training courses clarify, support, and boost the other 90 percent of the leaders' learning (The
Center for Creative Leadership, 2011). That is, training gives the learners the basic building
blocks on which the other forms of learning can be built.

This amplifier effect works because each hour of formal learning spills over to four-hours of
informal learning for a 4:1 ratio (Cofer, 2000). Bell (1977) used the metaphor of brick and
mortar to describe this relationship of formal and informal learning—formal learning acts as
bricks fused into the emerging bridge of personal growth, while informal learning acts as the
mortar, facilitating the acceptance and development of the formal learning.

Bell also noted that informal learning should NOT replace formal learning activities as it is this
synergy that produces effective growth (those calling for lower levels of formal learning are
going in the wrong direction).

Thus trainers and instructional designers help to develop the organization by establishing a
shared knowledge base on which to build the organization's leadership vision. And as noted in
the previous section, while some learners may only need 10% of their learning to come from
formal methods, others may need the vast majority of their learning to be more on the formal
side.

Page 3 of 5
70-20-10 Learning Model

The 20% Social Effect

Social learning is a process of learning caused or favored by people being situated in a common
environment and observing one another (Conte, Paolucci, 2001). This allows the learners to not
only perceive each other for comparison and self-evaluation, but also see others as a neutral
source of information, which may help or speed several forms of instrumental learning.

Recently, social learning has been extended through the use of Social media—communication
tools that allows users to create, modify, and/or distribute content (Clark, 2010). Social media
includes such tools as blogs, microblogs (e.g., Twitter & Yammer), file sharing (e.g., Flickr &
SlideShare), Virtual Meeting Places, (e.g., Adobe Connect & Elluminate), social sites (e.g.
Facebook & MySpace), and wikis. For more information see Social Learning and Social Media.

Thus social learning may be done face-to-face or through the use of social media tools. Some of
the methods used include:

• Mentoring
• Networking
• Shadowing a skilled performer
• Sounding out ideas that promote discussions and constructive feedback
• Seeking advice and asking opinions

Page 4 of 5
70-20-10 Learning Model

The 70% Job Experience Effect

The five most important experiences that leaders and managers obtain to gain skills are
(Wilson, Velsor, Chandrasekar, Criswell, 2011):

• Feedback from their managers and superiors

• Job turnarounds
• Increasing their job scopes
• Horizontal moves
• New initiatives

These experiences allow the leaders and managers to learn three important leadership lessons
skills:

• Manage direct reports

• Become self-aware
• Execute effectively

While some of the above job experiences may provide new skills and knowledge for job-holders
other than leaders, some are difficult to provide. For example, while managers and leaders can
normally use their skills across different department levels, shuffling an entire organization
through various departments proves quite difficult as many skills are not relevant in other
departments and the rotation schedule can prove difficult to manage. Thus other forms of
experience must be provided, such as:

• Providing new challenges or projects

• Representing a team at a cross-functional meeting in order to learn about other
functions within the organization
• Training new team members or teaching and coaching skills to other team members
• Providing increased decision making authority
• Action Learning

Negative experiences can also be used for promoting learning, such as learning from mistakes,
however since personal reflection often occurs some time after the experience, it is mostly
retrospective (McCauley, Brutus, 1988). Reflection can often be hard to accomplish, thus new
leaders and managers often need coaching or mentoring to help them through the process.

Page 5 of 5