Motivation: I think about Cynefin framework surprisingly often. When a problem presents itself in work/home/life, it helps me clarify what solution tool bag to grab. At different workplaces, I’ve seen organizations struggle when applying the wrong solution tools to the problem, akin to applying a hammer when it’s an adjustable wrench that’s needed. In technology companies, even with lots of smart technical people, I’ve seen it’s easy to confuse/conflate the Complicated and Complex domains: both will have non-obvious answers, but the appropriate solution finding methods are fundamentally different.
The Cynefin Framework
Cynefin (cunevin/kuh-nev-in) is a sense-making framework that separates problems into different domains:
- Simple / Obvious
- Complicated
- Complex
- Chaotic
- and Disorder (not knowing what domain you’re in)
and advises a different set of tools for problem-solving in each of the domains.
Video posted on: https://thecynefin.co/about-us/about-cynefin-framework/
[ 2010 Cynefin Framework intro video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7oz366X0-8 ]
Complex vs Complicated – Approaches
The general shape of approaches appropriate for Complex vs Complicated problems:
| Complex | Complicated |
|---|---|
| Discover | Deploy |
| Explore | Exploit |
| Experiment | Command & Control |
| Play | Perform |
| Holistic | Mechanistic, Reductionistic |
| Synthesis, Integration | Decomposition |
| Interconnectedness | Separation |
| Generalist | Specialist |
| Breadth | Depth |
| Diverse input | Expert input |
| Systems Thinking, Systems Dynamics | Systems Engineering |
In Systems Thinking language, “systems” is usually short-hand for Complex Adaptive Systems (sometimes abbreviated to CAS). Cynefin’s Complex systems are also referring to Complex Adaptive Systems.
Long-form Reads
A Leader’s Framework for Decision Making, HBR article, 2007: https://hbr.org/2007/11/a-leaders-framework-for-decision-making
The new dynamics of strategy: Sense-making in a complex and complicated world, IBM Systems Journal, 2003: http://alumni.media.mit.edu/~brooks/storybiz/kurtz.pdf
Wiki
I find the distinction between a “Crew” and a “Team” intriguing: Crews article
Exaptation, also radical repurposing, is the taking of an idea, concept, tool, method, framework, etc., intended to address one thing, and using it to address a different thing, often in another domain.
More videos
Other Perspectives
