We’ve known for a long time that training is just one of many ways toenable learning, but how do we express this in a clear, useful way thatprovides both guidance and flexibility? We first talked about “blendedlearning,” but, unfortunately, that came to mean primarily the blending ofclassroom and online training. Useful, but not where we need to be. “Informallearning” wasn’t much better. Although it helped move us in the rightdirection, the concept of “informal,” was difficult, at best, to measure andexplain, especially to senior managers. So far, none of the new models forlearning seem to have filled the bill.
As we look for ways to think differently—to break out of the “trainingis all that’s needed and all we do” mindset, two relatively new approaches tobroadening the learning space have emerged: the 70:20:10 Model and the learning and performance ecosystem.Together, they can help us move to where we need to be as the future oflearning and development unfolds new models.
70:20:10 Model
Figure 1: 70:20:10 model, from Jennings
Alt txt: Diagram showing that 70 percent of learning isfrom experience, 20 percent comes through others, and 10 percent of learninghappens in structured courses and programs.
The 70:20:10 model (Figure 1) suggests that most of what we learn,about 70 percent, we learn in the act of doing,often in the context of work. Referencing information resources, tools,performance support, and the experiences of doing the job are examples of howlearning is supported in real-time.
Around 20 percent of all learning is learning from others, throughcollaboration, coaching and mentoring, and feedback. All of us have learned athing or two from colleagues and experts who willingly share their knowledgeand experiences with us.
Finally, the model suggests that only about 10 percent of all we learnis through formal, structured training. Thus, if all we do is train, we missout on a much larger set of opportunities to improve performance—often lessexpensive ones as well.
However, just because formal training is only 10 percent of the mixdoesn’t mean it isn’t important or can be eliminated. Think of the 70:20:10model as a three-legged stool, with each component represented by a leg. Cutoff any one leg and the entire stool collapses. Those who think training isdead need to understand this. Training may not be the only solution, but thereare times when it can be the most critical solution.
The biggest contribution of the 70:20:10 model is to make a clear casefor the expansion of learning strategies beyond training. Some will argue that70:20:10 is not rigorous or scientific, that the percentages are arbitrary, andthat each situation is unique. Fair enough. But the purpose of the model is notpredictive; it’s advisory. It provides an overarching framework for guiding anentire performance improvement strategy. If you buy into the concept of 70:20:10,you begin to break out of the training bubble.
Learning and Performance Ecosystem
Across the entire spectrum of learning and performance interventions, it’spossible to see relationships and opportunities to create mashups of differentapproaches into solutions that are more than the sum of their parts. Theconcept of an “ecosystem”helps here. Ecosystems generally refer to the complex interactions andinterdependencies between related parts of an environment (Figure 2). This termis often used in a scientific context, but the same principle can be applied toour work by connecting six interrelated approaches to learning and performance:
Figure 2: Learning and performance ecosystem,from Rosenberg and Foreman
Alt txt: The learning and performance ecosystem includes sixcomponents: talent management, performance support, knowledge management,access to experts, social networking and collaboration, and structuredlearning.
Thelearning and performance ecosystem puts people, not instructors or content,in the center, interacting with one or more of the six components. One of themost important things to keep in mind is that it is not a technology-centric model. By focusing on solutions first, weavoid getting caught in the common trap of leading with technology and thenforcing a solution onto a predetermined technological mandate. In addition,there are content curation and process factors that can enable learning, ifdone well, or impede it if they are flawed.
Although relatively new, the ecosystem framework is being implementedin several organizations. A major US government agency is restructuring itslearning and development organization around the ecosystem. A healthcarecompany combined training with field based knowledge management and performancesupport tools. An industrial company used training and social media componentsto keep product developers and technical experts in constant touch with eachother, so that learning from each other would be continuous. And, a customercare organization is using many ecosystem components to keep agents at thecutting edge of product knowledge.
Merging the Models
If you are already using the 70:20:10 model in your organization,overlaying it onto the learning and performance ecosystem can be very helpfulas they can complement each other and provide more specific planning for yourlearning strategy, as Figure 3 shows:
Figure 3: Overlay 70:20:10 model over learningand performance ecosystem
Alt Txt: Overlaying the 70-20-12 model onto the ecosystemshows that the 70 correlates with performance support and knowledge management;the 20 correlates with access to experts and social networking; and the 10correlates with formal training.
In this way, the ecosystem framework gives structure and direction tothe 70:20:10 model. There are two additional points to note here. First, thereis likely to be overlap between the components. For example, there is no reasonthat performance support, knowledge management tools, or social media cannot beused in structured learning programs; similarly, social networking with expertscan be an offshoot of a knowledgebase.
Second, talent management is not so much left out of the mix as it isan overriding process. In other words, if we can improve performance throughthe ecosystem, reflective of the 70:20:10 model, our organization can bettermanage, allocate, recruit, and leverage the workforce. To simply developemployees without having a strategy for using them effectively and efficientlyundermines the ultimate goal of it all: productivity and results.
Why This Matters—Moving Toward Proficiency
As people get better at their jobs, they move though four stages levelsof proficiency (Figure 4), each requiring adjustments in the mix of learningand performance ecosystem approaches we offer:
- Novice:New to the job, cannot perform job tasks.
- Competent:Can perform job to basic standards.
- Experienced:Can adjust their performance to new/novel situations.
- Master:Has the expertise to redesign/improve the work and teach others.
Figure 4: Impact of stages of proficiency onlearning strategy (PS/KM refers to performance support and knowledgemanagement), from Rosenberg
Alt Txt: At different proficiency model stages, the mix oftraining, tools, social learning, and consultation with experts changes.Training is most needed by novices, while social learning and consultation withexperts requires some skill.
At each stage, people learn differently, and the complete learningstrategy often involves all ecosystem components to a greater or lesser degree,depending on the stage. Clearly, novices need the most training, but as theybecome competent, they often need less, relying instead on performance supportand knowledge management tools, expert coaching, and some collaboration andsocial media. When they become experienced, their need for training continuesto fall, but their use of collaboration and social media can skyrocket, alongwith a continuing reliance on expert coaching and mentoring. Finally, atmastery, collaboration, especially with other experts, dominates the learningscene, with much less reliance on training and tools.
It’s important to note that, just like 70:20:10, the use of eachlearning strategy at each state is not fixed. Rather, it depends on thespecific learning challenge, the learners themselves, the organizationallearning culture and a host of other factors. The proficiency model can andshould have great situational flexibility.
There are three cautions in this approach to be aware of:
- Peoplecan be at different levels of proficiency at the same time. For example, if youpromote your best programmer to management, that person may be a master atvarious technical skills, but a novice at supervising others. This createscomplexity and challenge in designing comprehensive learning programs that workacross all development and proficiency stages.
- Itis not the case that experts never need training or that novices can’t benefitfrom a performance support tool, for example. The loading of each type ofintervention may vary—sometimes considerably—depending on where the learner isalong the proficiency continuum. Nevertheless, this model suggests that mosttraining is front-loaded into a development plan.
- Assuch, applying training uniformly across the four levels of proficiency can bea waste of time. Similarly, applying any of the ecosystem components uniformlyacross the board can severely lower the effectiveness of the learning designand increase overall costs.
So, depending on where a learner is along the proficiency spectrum,different ecosystem mixes might be in order. And, over the entire developmentaljourney, the 70:20:10 distribution becomes evident.
If you look at how the ecosystem components are distributed across thefour stages of proficiency in various jobs at your organization, you are likelyto see similar trends.
Guidelines, Not Rules
Using the 70:20:10 model, the learning and performance ecosystem, andthe four stages of proficiency as guidelines can help you design a learning anddevelopment program that breaks out of the training mindset and moves overtime, with the learner’s increasing skill and knowledge. In its simplest form,it’s about asking three key questions:
- Whereare the learners along the proficiency continuum?
- Inaddition to structured training, are you carefully considering learning thoughdoing and learning through others (70:20:10)?
- Areyou allocating specific learning and performance interventions, either alone ormore likely in combinations, where they are most appropriate and will do themost good (ecosystem).
Like most professions, we love models. We will continue to see newmodels that help us understand, communicate and manage what we do, but rightnow, these three can be quite helpful. If you are an instructional designer,this approach can focus your client on a broader range of solutions that willlikely have a greater impact on learning than training alone. As a trainingmanager, director, or CLO, these models can shape your sponsor/executive’sthinking in new and innovative ways. As a subject matter expert, theseapproaches will provide you with fresh and exciting ways to convey yourexpertise, especially in the context of work. And finally, as a line manager orsupervisor, the greater efficiency of using the right learning strategy for theneed, rather than a one size fits all approach, can contribute significantly tothe productivity of your team.
Thinkingdifferently about learning and performance is the first step in providing morevalue to your learners—in the classroom and in the field—and to your organization.The way forward is becoming clear. Are you on board?
