Bill Canady breaks down how people actually learn at work: 70% from doing the job and reflecting on it, 20% from mentors and colleagues, and 10% from courses and training. Most learning happens on the job, not in a classroom.
Today, I thought we'd talk about 70-20-10. The basic assumption of 70-20-10 breakdowns this way: 70% of learning comes from experience, self-reflection. In the context of workplace, this means that 70% of learning as a job comes from doing the job, trying different ways to approach it, and reflecting on the results. We call this self-coaching OJT. 20% of learning comes from working with others. Now, this is OJT that is coached by mentors or colleagues, Will or delegated, show you, the novice, the ropes. A mere 10% of learning comes from formal education such as coursework, classroom instruction, lectures, seminars, instructional readings, and other planned learning sessions. In short, it is the sum of 70% plus the 20% that is most important, whereas the formal instruction provides a useful but not necessarily critical learning component.
