Mentoring and the 70-20-10 model – how to combine development, relationships and practical approach

The 70-20-10 model has functioned for years as one of the most widely used approaches to designing employee development. It’s simple, intuitive, and reflects very well how people actually learn – not only in training, but more importantly in their daily work and relationships with others.

Mentoring fits perfectly into this model. What’s more – you can look at the mentoring relationship from two perspectives: as a response to the relational part of the 70-20-10 model and as a developmental process, which itself implements the assumptions of this model This is what we will look at in this article.

What is the 70-20-10 model?

The 70-20-10 model describes how adults learn and develop competencies in the work environment. It assumes that:

• 70% of development comes from experience and practice – completion of tasks, challenges, projects and daily work,
• 20% of development is through interaction with others – conversation, feedback, observation, collaboration, mentoring,
• 10% of development is formal learning – training, courses, educational materials.

This model emphasizes that theoretical knowledge alone is not enough. Relationships and the practical application of acquired skills are crucial.

How does the 70-20-10 model interact with mentoring?

Mentoring ties in very naturally with the 70-20-10 model – and on two levels.

On the one hand, mentoring is a concrete response to the relational dimension of development, i.e. the 20% mentioned above. On the other – a well-designed mentoring process alone realizes all the elements of the 70-20-10 model, combining relationship, practice and knowledge.

In this way, mentoring is not a detached development tool, but a real support for daily learning in the organization.

Mentoring as a response to the 20% development in the 70-20-10 model

In the 70-20-10 model, as much as 20% of development takes place through interactions with other people. This is where mentoring plays a key role.

The mentoring relationship is based on regular conversations, exchange of experiences, reflection and working on the mentee’s real challenges The mentor does not provide ready-made answers, but helps to better understand the situation, look at the problem from a different perspective and learn from his/her own experiences. If you want to learn more about what mentoring is and how it works in practice, you can read about it in this article.

This is why mentoring is one of the most effective tools for realizing the “20%” of the 70-20-10 model. Mentiway’s mentoring platform supports organizations in implementing mentoring in a structured and accessible way, even for those who are new to this form of development.

Mentoring in terms of the 70-20-10 model – relationship, practice and knowledge

Mentoring can also be looked at from the other side – as a process that in itself very much implements the assumptions of the 70-20-10 model. In practice, mentoring is not just about conversations between mentor and mentee, but is a comprehensive development process that combines relationship, practical action and knowledge work.

Well-designed mentoring engages participants on multiple levels: it encourages reflection and sharing of experiences, but at the same time requires active testing of new solutions in daily work and reaching out to additional sources of knowledge. As a result, development does not end with the end of the mentoring session, but continues between meetings and realistically translates into behavioral change.

At Mentiway, we often talk about a simplified 50-30-20 model, which describes in a practical way how mentee involvement is distributed throughout the mentoring process. This model helps participants understand that mentoring is not just about “time with a mentor,” but more importantly about self-work and conscious learning.

30% – joint work of mentor and mentee during the session

About 30% of the mentoring process is direct relational work – mentoring sessions. These are moments when the mentor and mentee meet, during which a relationship based on trust, openness and partnership dialogue is built. During the sessions, the mentee has the space to discuss current challenges, organize development goals, and confront their ideas and decisions with the mentor’s experience.

Mentoring sessions also serve an important function of organizing the entire process It is at these sessions that priorities are set, next steps are defined, and lessons learned between meetings are summarized. The mentor’s role is not to give ready answers, but to ask pertinent questions, share perspectives, and support the mentee in developing solutions on his or her own.

You can read more about what mentoring sessions look like, how often they should take place and how long they should last here.

50% – mentee’s practice and self-work between sessions

Most of the development in mentoring takes place between sessions This is when the mentee tests new approaches, implements findings, experiments in their daily work and learns from real-world experiences.

In the Mentiway platform, we place a strong emphasis on this element of the process. Mentee works on developmental tasks that help translate mentoring conversations into concrete actions.

Find out more about mentee’s own work in mentoring in this article.

20% – knowledge and materials to support development

The rest of the mentoring process is learning through materials – articles, books, recordings or tools recommended by the mentor. This is the equivalent of the “10%” from the 70-20-10 model, expanded to include resources to support the mentee’s work.

At Mentiway, mentees have access to a rich knowledge base that they can use both during mentoring and between sessions. This ensures that the process is consistent, and that development is based not only on conversation, but also on conscious expansion of knowledge.

Mentoring as a comprehensive development model

The combination of mentoring and the 70-20-10 model demonstrates that effective development is not about individual actions, but a cohesive ecosystem: relationships, practice and knowledge.

Mentoring draws on each of these elements, which is why it has real and lasting effects – both for the participants and the organization. You can read more about the benefits of mentoring in companies in this text..

If you want to design a mentoring program based on proven development models and supported by technology, we’d be happy to help. Mentiway’s mentoring platform supports organizations at every stage of mentoring implementation – from concept to day-to-day implementation of the process

Contact us and see how mentoring can work for your organization!

Q&A – the most common questions about the 70-20-10 model and mentoring

Does mentoring always fit into the 70-20-10 model?

Yes, well-designed mentoring very naturally implements the tenets of the 70-20-10 model. It is based on the relationship (20%), supports practical testing of solutions on the job (70%) and uses knowledge and development materials (10%).

Why is mentoring so important in the “20%” part of the 70-20-10 model?

Because this part of development is about learning through interaction with others – conversation, feedback, observation and sharing of experiences. Mentoring is based on exactly that, giving a safe space to reflect and work on real challenges.

Is mentoring just conversations with a mentor?

No. Effective mentoring is not only about sessions, but also about the mentee’s own work between meetings and the use of development materials. It is the combination of relationship, practice and knowledge that makes mentoring produce lasting results.

How does the 70-20-10 model help to better plan the mentoring process?

The 70-20-10 model helps to maintain the right balance in the mentoring process – not to focus solely on conversations, but also to take care of the mentee’s practical activities and access to knowledge to support development.

Can mentoring be effectively implemented in an organization without dedicated tools?

In theory, yes, but in practice, a dedicated mentoring platform makes it significantly easier to organize the process, monitor progress and ensure the quality of mentoring. Tools such as Mentiway help translate the 70-20-10 model into real development activities in the company.