cynefin in 2 1/2 dimensions…

Cynefin is often described as a sense-making framework (sometimes as a decision-making framework), created by David Snowden, that has come to inform my thinking quite a bit. I remember the first time I heard of it from Jennifer Garvey Berger — the penny definitely dropped for me.

I tend to steer clear of “explainer” videos, but this one is pretty much just that. I’ve been exploring and learning a new 2 1/2 D (meaning “flat” drawings arrangeable in 3D space) drawing app called @mentalcanvas and cynefin seemed like a good thing to draw and elaborate.

If you’ve never come across it before I’d be interested in what this video prompts in you, be it insights, puzzles, arguments, ideas, or experiments.

Here’s the transcript of the fly-through:

This is a fly-through of cynefin, a sensemaking framework for figuring out what kind of problem space you’re in so you can get unstuck. For some challenges, the approach is clear, you figure out what to do and do it, or figure out what’s wrong and fix it.

For complicated challenges, we can figure out what to do, but it’s going to take some time and probably some analysis.

For complex challenges, the “causes” of things are much murkier. Developmental psychologist Paul Bloom says, things are the way they are because they got that way.

Conventional thinking about problems and solutions don’t apply in complex challenges.

We have to create a path by walking… in other words, try stuff.

But beware, there WILL be unintended consequences.

There are also dangers in assuming everything has an obvious solution.

Change is inevitable and things can fall apart quickly if we keep assuming things are as they used to be. If you fall off the cliff into chaos you need to restore order as soon as possible.

But we can intentionally venture into the shallow end of chaos. In fact, it’s a good idea to wade in every once in a while to spaces where we have no idea what we’re doing. We just need to assume we WILL flounder around and make mistakes, so it’s a good idea to choose things where failure isn’t unsafe.

We all have contexts where things seem really obvious and predictable to us — but it’s these familiar contexts, roles, and situations where the zone of complacency lies. Whether or not we fall of the cliff depends on how we respond to things that don’t fit with our expectations of how things should be.