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02 Feb 2026 • 10:00
7 min read
Are you unsure how to spend your team's limited learning hours to get the biggest impact? The 70 20 10 rule gives a simple allocation that helps leaders prioritize real work, coaching and formal training without guessing.
Applied thoughtfully, this model cuts wasteful classroom time and boosts on-the-job growth.
The 70 20 10 framework emerged from research into how leaders learn on the job. It suggests that roughly 70 percent of learning comes from hands-on experience, 20 percent from social interactions like coaching, and 10 percent from formal courses.
70 percent = stretch assignments, new responsibilities and real projects that develop judgment and skills. 20 percent = feedback, mentoring, peer collaboration and shadowing. 10 percent = structured classes, e-learning and certification.
It is not a rigid formula to follow to the letter. Think of it as a prioritization tool to guide time, budget and design choices for learning and development.
The rise of remote work, rapid product cycles and tight training budgets makes inefficient learning costly. The 70 20 10 approach shifts emphasis toward practice and context, which improves transfer of skills to real work.
Organizations that reallocate resources toward experience and coaching often see faster readiness and stronger behavioral change than those that rely mostly on courses.
Key idea: Learning in the workflow drives performance faster than classroom-only approaches.
For more background on the model's origins and use, reputable sources explain the research and debates around it, for example the 70-20-10 model overview on Wikipedia and analysis by leadership organizations such as the Center for Creative Leadership.
Percentages are directional, not prescriptive. They answer the question: where should I invest attention and resources? Here are practical interpretations:
70% experiential: Assign projects that stretch employees beyond their comfort zones.
20% social: Build structured coaching, mentoring and peer feedback into workflows.
10% formal: Use targeted courses to fill foundational knowledge gaps.
Use the model to set targets for time use, budget share or curriculum design. For example, plan learning journeys where a certification (10%) is immediately followed by a project (70%) and a coaching series (20%).
Turning theory into results requires a few deliberate moves. Follow these steps to embed 70 20 10 into everyday operations.
Map current learning: Track where people spend learning time today. Include on-the-job tasks, mentoring meetings and formal training.
Identify priority skills: Choose 3-5 target skills or outcomes for the next 6-12 months.
Design blended pathways: For each skill, create a learning pathway that mixes real projects, coaching and short courses.
Allocate budget and time: Set measurable targets for the percent of time and dollars toward experiential, social and formal methods.
Measure and iterate: Use performance indicators and feedback loops to refine the mix.
Each step is actionable and keeps the focus on outcomes, not just activity.
Examples make the model usable across roles. Below are three templates tailored to common scenarios.
New manager onboarding
70%: Two-month ownership of a low-risk team initiative
20%: Weekly 30-minute coaching sessions with an experienced manager
10%: Two microlearning modules on feedback and delegation
Product skill ramp
70%: Build a small feature end-to-end with senior review
20%: Pair programming and cross-functional demos
10%: Short course on product discovery methods
Sales capability boost
70%: Shadow top performers on live calls and run pilot calls
20%: Roleplay practice with peer feedback sessions
10%: Product and market e-learning modules
These templates scale: multiply by team size and vary the complexity depending on seniority.
Experiential learning thrives when supported by deliberate structure. Use these patterns to make on-the-job work teach effectively.
Stretch assignments: Time-boxed projects with clear success criteria and a debrief.
Rotational moves: Short stints across functions to broaden context and networks.
Action learning sets: Small groups solving live problems with coaching checkpoints.
Shadowing and reverse shadowing: Observe and be observed to accelerate behavioral change.
Pair these with concise documentation and short coaching conversations to convert experience into learning.
Social learning can become the multiplier if you design for repeatability. Focus on three levers to scale effectively.
Peer cohorts: Small groups that meet regularly to share progress and give feedback.
Mentor frameworks: Standardize mentoring agendas and success checkpoints so each pairing produces predictable outcomes.
Manager enablement: Equip managers with short coaching scripts and feedback templates to use during one-on-ones.
Automating scheduling and sharing bite-sized learning artifacts increases consistency across teams.
Measurement should focus on behavior change and performance, not just course completion. Use a mix of leading and lagging indicators.
Leading indicators: Number of stretch assignments completed, coaching hours logged, peer feedback frequency.
Lagging indicators: Performance ratings, promotion rates, time-to-proficiency metrics.
Qualitative signals: Manager observations, learner self-assessments and customer feedback.
Dashboard these metrics and run short experiments: tweak the mix for one cohort, compare outcomes, then scale what works.
The 70 20 10 model looks simple, but organizations often misapply it. Watch for these traps.
Ignoring context: A high-risk role may need more formalized training before hands-on work.
Poorly designed experience: Assignments without clear goals or support don’t teach effectively.
Token coaching: Unstructured feedback sessions produce little change; use frameworks and accountability.
Measuring the wrong things: Course completions without performance metrics won’t prove impact.
Address these by adding guardrails: skill checklists, success criteria for assignments and coaching templates.
One technology team replaced a three-week onboarding course with a blended pathway. New hires completed a short orientation (10%), then immediately worked on a clearly scoped feature with daily standups (70%) and a rotating mentor system (20%).
Outcomes: time-to-first-merge fell by nearly half and new hires reported higher confidence. The change shifted effort from lengthy lectures to contextual practice and continuous feedback.
For research on learning patterns and organizational impact, respected publications like Harvard Business Review offer analysis on leadership learning approaches and transfer.
Below are concise answers to common search queries about the model.
Is 70 20 10 evidence-based? It is based on observational research into leader development and widely used as a practical heuristic rather than a strict law.
Does every role use the same split? No. Use the ratios as a starting point and adjust for role risk, regulatory needs and complexity.
Can small teams apply it? Yes. Small teams can prioritize experiential opportunities and quick peer coaching without large budgets.
How long before results show? Early behavior changes appear within months; measurable performance shifts often require 6–12 months.
Certain tools make implementation easier. Consider platforms for microlearning, mentorship matching and project tracking.
Mentorship and coaching platforms to manage pairings and agendas.
Microlearning libraries for the 10% formal content delivered in minutes.
Project management tools that surface stretch assignments and outcomes.
Combining lightweight tech with clear human processes yields the best results.
The 70 20 10 rule is a directional framework that helps you focus on practice and relationships, not just content. Use it to rebalance time and budget toward real work and coaching to drive behavior change.
Map current learning to understand baseline allocations.
Choose target skills and design blended pathways for each.
Set measurable targets for experiential, social and formal investments.
Run small experiments and iterate based on performance data.
Start by redesigning a single onboarding or development journey using the 70 20 10 mix. Track outcomes and scale the patterns that produce measurable improvement.
Now that you understand these strategies, you're ready to adjust your team's learning mix and accelerate skill development. Take the first step this week by choosing one role to redesign with a 70 20 10 pathway and assign clear success criteria for the first stretch assignment.
