Learning managers at companies running Employee-generated Learning programmes tend to notice the same pattern, regardless of industry or company size. Most employees default to consuming knowledge rather than creating it. A smaller group will contribute once invited. And a handful will do it on their own, without any push at all.
Understanding where your people sit in this split is the starting point for building a knowledge-sharing culture that actually works. Here is a closer look at each group.
70% of employees are passive consumers of knowledge
This is the group that reads the courses, watches the videos, and uses the knowledge base, but rarely adds to it. That is not indifference. Most people in this group see content creation as separate from their job, something extra that competes with their real responsibilities.
The most effective way to shift this is to make contributing feel like a normal part of the role, not a favour. Bring it up at performance reviews. When a subject-matter expert solves a problem no one else knows how to handle, that is a signal: the knowledge lives only in their head, and the organization is one resignation away from losing it. Framing contribution as part of how work gets done, rather than as a side project, makes a real difference. Simple tools help too. If creating a course takes an hour instead of a week, the barrier drops significantly.
20% of employees are willing to contribute knowledge if asked
This group does not need much. Give them a clear ask, explain why their knowledge matters to the team, and point them toward a tool they can use without training. Most will get started quickly and produce content that is genuinely useful.
They are also your best recruiting tool for the 70%. Once a few colleagues have published something and received positive feedback, others start to see it as something they could do too. Peer example is more persuasive than any internal campaign.
10% of employees contribute knowledge proactively
This group does not wait to be asked. They spot a gap in the knowledge base and fill it. They update courses when a process changes. They share what they know because they find it useful, not because anyone told them to.
The content they produce tends to be high quality because it comes from real experience, written for colleagues who face the same situations. As a learning manager, your job here is to make sure this group feels recognized. They may not need encouragement to keep going, but they will notice if their work goes unacknowledged. A direct conversation, a mention in a team meeting, or early access to new tools all signal that the organization values what they do.
They are also your most effective advocates with the other groups. When a respected colleague explains why they started sharing knowledge, it lands differently than a message from L&D.
Getting the most from all three groups
Most Employee-generated Learning programmes start by focusing on the 10%, and that makes sense. They produce quickly, they need little support, and their content gives you something to show the rest of the organization.
But the programme only scales when you bring in the 20% and, over time, some of the 70%. That means removing friction. If the authoring tool requires a course in itself to learn, the 70% will never start. If the only recognition a contributor gets is a thank-you email they have to hunt for, the 20% will not come back for a second course.
The practical approach is to design for the 70% from the start: simple tools, clear expectations, and a process that fits into existing workflows rather than adding to them. The 10% and 20% will thrive regardless. The 70% will only contribute if you make it easy enough that contributing feels like the obvious thing to do.
