70-20-10 model: what it is and what it means

The 70-20-10 model is a rough estimate that splits adult learning at work into three shares: 70% from direct experience (real work, progressively more complex tasks, reversible mistakes), 20% from interactions with colleagues and mentors (peer learning, side-by-side coaching, professional exchange), 10% from formal training (courses, classroom, e-learning). The proportions are orders of magnitude with limited empirical grounding, not general laws: they vary by industry, role and phase of the employee lifecycle. The value of the model lies in its power to correct the widespread tendency to focus investment and attention only on the formal 10%, neglecting the 70% and the 20%.

Distinctive: orders of magnitude with limited empirical grounding
Distinctive: correct the widespread tendency
Essential: 70% from direct experience
Essential: 20% from interactions with colleagues and mentors
Essential: 10% from formal training
Constant: rough estimate

Glossary

70-20-10 model

A rough estimate that splits adult learning at work into three shares: 70% from direct experience, 20% from interactions with colleagues and mentors, 10% from formal training.