Week 18, 2020
Cynefin Framework, Part 2: Fixed, Enabling, and Governing Constraints
Each week I share three ideas for how to make work better. This is part 2 of an introduction to the Cynefin framework.
Why am I writing about this? Last week’s issue introduced Cynefin as a sense-making device; a framework with which to categorize situations based on perceived stability. This week adds a decision-making layer on top, ensuring that we can match each situation with a response.
A note before we begin:
Have you noticed that Cynefin isn’t linear? It’s circular. And that’s by design. Cynefin isn’t a one-way street. It’s bi-directional. You can move clockwise towards stability. And you can move counter-clockwise towards instability. And that’s important.
Why? Because it highlights a fundamental tension that exists between ourselves and our environment. We like clarity. We like to understand the world around us. And so we always want to move clockwise through Cynefin, preferring clarity to complicatedness to complexity, etc.
Obviously our environment has no such preference. But the increasing rate of environmental change means that we are constantly being pushed counterclockwise. Push and pull. Pull and push. And this is the tension, the dynamic, that Cynefin so neatly illustrates.
Here’s how it works:
1. Standardize
You’ve found yourself in the Complicated sub-domain. You’re in the realm of known unknowns; the realm of experts. You know what the problem is. You just don’t know how to fix it. And so you bring in expert help. In Cynefin language, you sense-analyze-respond. And if the problem keeps reappearing, you’ll formulate a method or best practice to handle it without expert intervention. You begin to standardize. And in so doing, you gradually eek closer to the Clear subdomain.
2. Experiment
You’ve found yourself in the Complex subdomain. You’re dealing with the unknown-unknowns. No amount of expertise can help you here; answers are only available in retrospect. And so you experiment which, in Cynefin language, means you probe-sense-respond. You may or may not find something that works. But if you do, you will gradually roll it out to the rest of your organization. You may seek expert help to accomplish this; you will gradually move into the Complicated subdomain.
3. Stabilize
You’ve found yourself in complete and utter Chaos. You are dealing with unknowable unknowns; unknowable because there’s no time to think. You need to act-sense-respond; you need to stabilize the situation. And if you do — if you are able to “staunch the bleeding” — you will find that you’ve successfully moved out of Chaos and into either of the remaining subdomains. From here, you can continue your clockwise move towards greater stability. You now have time to think.
Push and pull.
The moral of the story, of course, is that no one leadership approach works in all situations. Decision-making is contextual. And leaders need to adapt to changing circumstances. They need a repertoire of responses. And that’s where Cynefin can help.
And what about the Clear subdomain? Is that the goal that we should all aspire to? Yes and no. Clear is certainly a good place to be. It’s where economies of scale are built. But getting to Clear requires that we simplify and standardize our processes to such a degree that they become rigid, inflexible. And that makes them vulnerable to extraordinary events.
Organizations designed to operate in Clear environments are efficient but brittle. And when they fail, they fail catastrophically — throwing the organization clockwise into Chaos. And so even if Clear is a “good” place to be, it’s not necessarily an easy place to stay. As Snowden himself writes: “best practice is, by definition, past practice.” And that’s why these organizations need to continuously improve themselves in order to stay where they are.
That’s all for this week.
Until next time, stay calm.
/Andreas
PS If you want to read more about Cynefin, I suggest starting with the original 2007 HRB article. But there are lots of other good resources as well. Kaimar Karu provides a nice overview in this slide deck. And Chris Corrigan recently wrote a COVID-19 themed post with examples.
