What is the 70/20/10 Model?
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The 70:20:10 model is a learning and development framework that suggests 70% of learning occurs through experiential means, 20% through social interaction, and 10% through formal education. Developed in the 1980s by researchers from the Center for Creative Leadership, the model emphasizes the importance of hands-on experience and social learning in acquiring knowledge. However, it faces criticism for lacking supporting data and not evolving with technological advancements in learning.
What is the 70/20/10 Model?
- 1. WHAT IS THE 70:20:10 MODEL? @juliettedenny
- 2. THE HISTORY The 70:20:10 Model is a learning and development model that provides a proportional breakdown of how people learn effectively. The model was first created in the 1980s, by three researchers working with the Centre for Creative Leadership – Morgan McCall, Michael M. Lombardo and Robert A. Eichinger. This trio were researching the key developmental experiences that drove successful managers. They sent out a survey to nearly 200 executives to self-report on how they believed they learned. The results of this survey led to the creation of the model.
- 3. THE MODEL Learning is a lot like cake. You need the right ingredients to achieve expertise and an exceedingly good education. So how’s it done? The 70:20:10 model is your recipe for sweet success! Here’s how it breaks down: • 70% of learning happens experientially • 20% of learning happens socially • 10% of learning happens formally
- 4. EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING = 70% That’s right. A massive 70% of what we know is learned through hands-on experience, daily tasks and challenges. Just like children learn through play, most adults still learn best by doing. So, the age-old wisdom that learning comes through experience turns out to be largely true! Think about the last time you really saw your skill level shoot up. Whatever you were trying to master, your success was probably down to regular practice and pushing yourself a little harder. You learned through experience!
- 5. SOCIAL LEARNING = 20% The second biggest chunk of the model tells us that social interaction is responsible for 20% of our learning. Social learning is growing together by observing, asking questions and getting answers - not just from Google but from your colleagues, friends or fellow online learners! Whatever you’re trying to master – your day job, that perfect recipe or the next game level – ask for help and learn together! With experiential learning and social learning combined, we can now see that a whopping 90% of all learning happens via informal sources – learning that happens outside of formal training interventions.
- 6. FORMAL LEARNING = 10% Although it only makes up 10% of our learning, formal training is an essential part of any learning strategy. It forms the backbone of successful training interventions. Take learning to drive a car for example. To succeed, you first need to understand the rules of the road and theory that supports your growing practical skills. Formal learning is the theory and facts that informal learning builds on. The 70:20:10 research also shows formal training can act as an amplifier, boosting what we’ve learned through experience and social interaction. So, it is worth seeing formal training as the supportive framework that creates successful learning outcomes.
- 7. CRITICISMS OF THE MODEL • Beyond the initial survey that was sent out, there is a lack of supporting data that validates the key claims of the model. The model was first birthed in the 80s and has not evolved since – it doesn’t reflect changes in online technologies and our new focus on social learning. • There are also limits to what the model tells us. The model tells us how the world is, not how the world should be. As learning and development professional Andy Jefferson notes, the model is ‘neither a scientific fact nor a recipe for how best to develop people’. That said the model still holds some intuitive power and provides a useful framework for thinking about the way we take in knowledge, that can be used by learning and development professionals to help inform key decisions.