Capacity Development is 90% more than training

[Lucia Nass]

What's interesting about starting a new long term is assignment is that you get a chance to prove yourself all over again. When I prepared for my latest new assignment, I discovered that the organisation seemed to equate Capacity Development with training. How could I let my new colleagues begin to think about the fact that Capacity Development is much more than training...

A while ago I stumbled upon a clip developed by Charles Jennings. It's called the 70:20:10 approach to learning. In sum he states that training contributes 10% to people’s learning and improvement, 20% is achieved through colleagues, networking and knowing the right people to get advice and insights, and 70% is achieved by learning from doing the actual work. Watch it, it's great and takes just 4 minutes.

Key message:

Informal (or experiential) learning has to be supported by managers.

How do you manage the 90% informal learning? You can't...

You can facilitate, support, make it happen, because

people manage their own learning.

Make resources available, all the time, through various channels

and let people get on with their own learning.

Stop pushing content at people,

people will learn when they need it, when they got problems to solve.

The video has worked well so far, because it introduces a simple vocabulary for complex stuff. The 10% formal learning has been developed and delivered. Now let's become more strategic about the other 90%!