Bring light to management with this framework

Would you use the same management approach in a car manufacturing plant and a software project? Probably not. The context and level of predictability between the two are very different, and a common approach that works well in one context might be a disaster in the other one. I will introduce you to Cynefin framework that will help you understand your management context and apply the best approach to the situation.

What is Cynefin?

Cynefin (ku-nev-in) is a naturalising sense-making framework created by David Snowden. It is naturalising in terms of using natural science and sense-making in terms of making sense of the world so that we can act in it.

The framework is based on the principle of bounded applicability - most things have value if we understand the boundaries within which they are valid. There are few, if any, context-free solutions but many valid context-specific ones. The framework can support us with decisions and brings us a way of determining what methods or approaches we should adopt and when we should change them.

Cynefin is a Welsh word with no English equivalent, meaning “a place of your multiple belongings”. This belonging might include geographic, religious, family and ethnic heritage, influencing our views and decisions in ways we are likely minimally aware of - you know where you are and where you come from. You don’t fully understand the cause and effect, but still, you’ve got to manage the flow.

The essence of the framework

The framework defines multiple domains. From complexity science, there are three systems within nature defined by the type of constraint or absence thereof. These are ordered, complex, and chaotic systems. Cynefin is based on these types of systems. The ordered system in Cynefin is further divided into Clear and Complicated domains. In addition to domains, the framework also has liminal zones, marked in green, symbolising areas of significant transitions between these domains.

The framework might look like a standard four-quadrant grid at first glance, but the curvy lines, squiggles and oddly shaped spot in the middle are all intentional.

Each Cynefin domain requires a different type of practice, and we will describe each in the following sections.

Cynefin domains

Ordered domain

Ordered systems are constrained, and future outcomes are predictable as long as the constraints can be sustained. The framework divides the ordered domain into two.

Clear domain

The relationship between cause and effect is self-evident and clear to any reasonable person. The constraints are rigid or fixed. It’s a very predictable, low-energy cost area, and you don’t need to worry about explaining things. The decision-making process is to sense the problem or opportunity, categorise it and then respond with the best practice for that category of problem or opportunity.

Complicated domain

The relation between cause and effect is not self-evident, but it can be discovered through analysis or the application of expertise in that type of system. Constraints are governing. The decision-making process is to sense, analyse and respond with good practice, meaning multiple ways exist to address the problem or opportunity.

Complex domain

The complex domain has enabling constraints and many levels of entanglement that make it dispositional, with no linear material causality. Complex systems have unpredictable emergent outcomes. Because we can’t predict upfront, the decision-making process is first to probe the system to see what we can learn by conducting safe-to-fail experiments, sense the outcomes and then respond by either amplifying or dampening the change. Exaptive practice focused on the radical re-purposing of existing capability. Complex systems are the realm of emergent practice, and new patterns are typically effective for a limited time since the system is constantly changing.

Chaotic domain

Chaotic systems lack enabling constraints, and the practice is always novel (by accident, or in a liminal area, by design). The chaotic domain is the best opportunity for innovation because people are open to novelty. If entered accidentally, the decision-making process is to act rapidly to stabilise the situation, sense whether the system is now stable and respond accordingly.

Confused domain

The confused domain is the state of not knowing in which domain we are. It is appreciated as A/C, meaning Aporia, when we are aware of the confusion and Confused when we are not.

Liminal areas

Because things are not steady and they transition between domains, we have certain zones of the framework that accommodate significant transitions. These zones are called liminal zones or areas, and they are demarcated by the liminal line.

We have liminal areas in multiple domains:

• Complex domain: things are still uncertain, but they are transiting to the Complicated domain
• Chaotic domain: the deliberate removal of effective constraints for decision support and/or innovation
• Complicated domain: where the analysis method or type of expertise is in question
• Confused domain: the state of aporia, where we can intentionally stimulate pathways into any domain other than Clear

The liminal area in the Clear domain is not visible, and the boundary between the Chaotic and Clear domains is catastrophic. If we over-constrain the boundaries of the Clear domain, we collapse into chaos. The little squiggle at the bottom of the framework represents a cliff.

Summary of properties

A table with framework domains and their properties:

Conclusion

This article gave you a brief overview of the Cynefin framework. You can read more about the framework on the Cynefin wiki at cynefin.io, or in the book Cynefin - Weaving Sense-Making into the Fabric of Our World.

Next time we will use the theoretical knowledge of the framework and apply it to some everyday management situations.

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