Framework

Richness and Reach

Definition

Richness and Reach maps a learning portfolio by the thinking demanded of participants and the number of people meaningfully engaged. It is a planning framework for examining design choices, not a validated score of learning effectiveness.

The Richness and Reach modelA four quadrant grid. The vertical axis is Richness, the depth of thinking demanded, rising through Bloom's levels. The horizontal axis is Reach, the number of people engaged. The lower two quadrants are what-to-think: quadrant one has limited reach, quadrant two has broad reach. The upper two demand more thinking: quadrant three has limited reach and quadrant four has broad reach.QUADRANT IIIHigher demand · limited reachQUADRANT IVHigher demand · broad reachQUADRANT ILower demand · limited reachQUADRANT IILower demand · broad reachRICHNESSREACHFewer participantsMore participantsHow-to-thinkWhat-to-think
Richness rises through Bloom's levels: remember → understand → apply → analyze → evaluate → create. Reach is the number of people a solution engages, from fewer to more participants. Placement depends on the task, not its delivery format.

Read the axes

Richness asks how much interpretation, analysis, evaluation, or creation the task requires. A difficult recall question is not automatically rich practice. An activity that asks for a judgment should provide enough knowledge and context to make that judgment possible.

Reach asks how many people can meaningfully participate. Invitations and completions may not tell you how many people had an opportunity to practice.

Four useful planning positions

  • Limited reach, lower demand: a small-group briefing.
  • Broad reach, lower demand: a widely available reference guide.
  • Limited reach, higher demand: a coached rehearsal of a difficult negotiation.
  • Broad reach, higher demand: a distributed decision exercise with feedback and another attempt.

These are illustrative placements. A workshop can be passive; online learning can demand substantial reasoning. Inspect the design before placing it.

Use the map to ask for evidence

List three current learning experiences. For each, name the decision people make, the feedback they receive, and the next attempt. If those are missing, identify whether the activity is intended as information support or capability development.

The map does not establish that one quadrant is always better. Choose a design suited to the objective, then examine whether it works.

Related concepts

  • What-to-think vs. how-to-think · Knowledge supports judgment. Practice gives people opportunities to use it when the answer is not already supplied.
  • The knowing-doing gap · The distance between explaining an approach and using it when the task becomes difficult.

Where this comes up

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A role people are struggling with. A decision that keeps going wrong. A capability you need to see before giving someone more responsibility. Start there.

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