What is 70-20-10 model?
Also called: 70:20:10 · 70/20/10 learning modelDefinition
The 70-20-10 model is a guideline for workplace learning which suggests that people learn roughly 70% from challenging experiences on the job, 20% from other people through coaching, feedback and observation, and 10% from formal training such as courses and workshops. It grew out of 1980s research at the Center for Creative Leadership into how successful executives developed. The proportions are a rule of thumb, not a precise measurement, and the model’s real message is that formal training must connect to work and feedback.
The original research asked executives what experiences had shaped their development, and found that most cited challenging assignments, then other people, then formal courses. L&D practitioners turned this into the 70-20-10 shorthand and use it to design programmes that combine a course with stretch assignments, manager conversations, coaching and peer feedback.
For corporate L&D, the model is a useful corrective: a workshop alone rarely changes behaviour unless people apply it to real work and get feedback. Designs that follow it include practice on live tasks, manager check-ins and reflection after the course. Bodhih’s Applied AI courses reflect this through a graded portfolio of work products built on the learner’s own work and reviewed by a person.
Common mistakes: treating the numbers as a budget formula (spending only 10% on formal training); using “70% is on the job” as a reason to provide no structured learning at all; and labelling unsupported on-the-job experience as development without any feedback or reflection.
Key points
- 70% experience, 20% other people, 10% formal training.
- Grew out of 1980s Center for Creative Leadership research on executives.
- A rule of thumb, not a precise ratio.
- Main message: connect formal learning to work and feedback.
- Not a budget formula.
An example at work
A Bengaluru IT company designs its first-time manager programme on 70-20-10: a two-day workshop (10%), monthly coaching with a senior manager and peer learning circles (20%), and a real assignment to run their team’s quarterly planning with a checklist and debrief (70%).
Where this is used at Bodhih
Related terms
Blended learning
Blended learning is a training approach that combines online learning, such as e-learning and virtual sessions, with in-person or live instructor-led learning.
Learning experience platform
A learning experience platform (LXP) is software that helps people discover learning content through recommendations, search and curation, rather than through assignment.
ADDIE model
The ADDIE model is a five-phase instructional design process: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation.
Training needs analysis
Training needs analysis (TNA) is the process of identifying the gap between the skills people have and the skills they need, and whether training can close it.
Portfolio assessment
Portfolio assessment is a method of judging competence by reviewing a collection of real work products a learner creates over a programme.
More about 70-20-10 model
Is the 70-20-10 model evidence-based?
Partly. It came from interviews with successful executives about what shaped their development, not from measuring learning time across all employees. The direction, that experience and other people matter a lot, is widely accepted; the exact percentages are not a scientific finding and should be treated as a guideline.
How do you apply the 70-20-10 model?
Start from the capability you want, then design all three parts: a focused course or workshop, structured support from managers, coaches or peers, and real assignments where people apply the skill with feedback. Measure the result on the job, not just course completion.