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A tour around the latest Cyne n FIND INTERESTING THINGS

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MARCH 23, 2020 • BY CHRIS CORRIGAN • COMPLEXITY, EMERGENCE, FEATURED, FLOW, IMPROV,
LEADERSHIP, LEARNING, UNSCHOOLING • 12 COMMENTS
EVENTS

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Complexity from the Inside Out with

Caitlin Frost, June 4-7, 2020, Bowen
Island, Canada (Preregistration now
open)

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 Fox.

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RESOURCES

A list of books in my library

Facilitation Resources

Open Space Resources

Planning an Open Space

Technology meeting

Every year, to celebrate St’ David’s Day, Dave Snowden has shared a series of posts on the
evolution of the Cynefin framework. This year he introduced the newest version. The
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framework changes, because as we use it, it has an evolutionary journey towards “better” and
more coherent. Not every branch in its evolution has had helpful components, but I find the Enter your email address to subscribe
current iteration to be very useful because it is both simple to use, easy to introduce, and yet to this blog and receive notifications
has quite a bit of depth. of new posts by email.
  
During the pandemic, I’ve been using this version of it to help people think about what to do Email Address
and this is how I propose to tour you around it as well. Subscribe

First, it’s helpful to orient people to the framework. To begin with, it has five domains: the one
in the middle, plus four others. It’s helpful to think of the domains as a slope, starting high in
the bottom right and tapering counterclockwise around to the bottom left. The domain in the
middle is the most important for me, and the most underappreciated. It is the domain of
Confusion (it used to be called Disorder). The domains on the right side are “ordered”
meaning that stuff there is largely knowable and predictable, and problems are solveable.
These Clear or Complicated domains are, distinguished by the number of interactions going
on – the more parts in the system, the more Complicated it is – and the level of expertise
required to know what the answer to a problem should be.
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The domains on the left side are “unordered” meaning that situations are unknowable and
unpredictable. This is the world of Complexity and Chaos. These are distinguished by the way
the system changes, self-organizes, and creates emergent phenomena. Complex systems
exhibit emergence and self-organization, and Chaos exhibits the lack of any meaningful
constraints a sense of randomness and crises.

The further you go counterclockwise, the more unordered and unstable the system is. If you
go clockwise, you introduce stability and order to the system. Stability lies clockwise of
where you are now and instability lies counterclockwise. It is important to note that this is
true until you get to the boundary between Clear and Chaos. That is like a cliff. One falls off of
the Clear domain into chaos and it is difficult – if not impossible – to recover and clamber
back up to the well-ordered world with Clear answers.

Most helpful for understanding strategy and the use of the framework is understanding how
constraints work. From Clear to Chaos, one can move through the framework using
constraints: Clear systems have fixed constraints that can break catastrophically and can be
repaired easily f you know what you are doing. Think of a water leak. If you know how to
repair it, it is a simple matter to do so. If you don’t, you fall off that cliff into Chaos quite
quickly, and it takes a lot of time to get back to normal.

Complicated systems allow for a little more latitude in practice and so have governing
constraints, such as laws and procedures. Break them at your peril, but also discuss them to
make sure they govern activity in the system well.

Complex systems are characterized by enabling constraints which give rise to all manner of
creativity, emergence and self-organization, but which can also be immutable. Think of the
laws of physics or principles of evolutionary biology that seemBLOG
to generate a huge variety
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of
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systems and living beings. But we don’t have a creature that can breathe by oxidizing neon,
because neon doesn’t oxidize.

Constraints in complexity can be quite tight and still contribute to emergence and creative
action. Think of the way the rules of the haiku form don’t tell you what to write, but instead
offer guidance on the number of syllables and lines to use: three lines of five, seven, and five
syllables. These simple constraints give rise to tremendous creativity and inspiration as you
work to create beauty within a distilled form.

In Chaos the absence of constraints means that nothing makes much sense, and all you can do
is choose a place to act, apply constraints and quickly sense what comes next. This is what
first responders do. They stabilize the situation and then figure out whether a technical
expert is needed (to operate the jaws of life) or whether the situation needs to be studied a
bit more (so we know how a pandemic actually occurs and the different ways a new virus
operates in the human body).

That’s the basic orientation to the framework. There are additional features above that are
helpful to note, including the green zones of liminality and the division of the Confusion
domain into A and C, standing for Aporetic and Confused. Aporetic means “at a loss” and
indicates an unresolved confusion, or a paradox, which is just fine. Sometimes things need to
remain a little murky for a while. “Confused” refers to the state of mind where you just aren’t
getting it, and you don’t understand the problem. It’s often the result of a failure to see past
one’s own biases, habits, and entrained patterns of solving things.

Contextualizing your problem

One meaning of the Welsh word “Cynefin” is “places or habitats of multiple belonging.” The
name of the framework references the fact that in any situation of confusion,
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have all five types of problems or systems at play. So when you are working on trying to
understand a situation, start by assuming you are in Confusion. As much as it is tempting to
look at all situations related to COVID-19 right now as Chaos, they aren’t. In fact, the desire
to do see them that way is actually a key indicator that you are in Confusion. When I am
teaching this framework, I sometimes label this domain “WTF?” because that is precisely
what is happening here. We don’t know what’s going on, we’re confused, and we’ve never
been here before. Any data you collect about a problem should all go into the Confused
domain first.

From there you can ask yourself where things belong. This is called a Cynefin
contextualization, and is a core Cognitive Edge method for working with Cynefin. It works
like this: you literally put as many aspects of your situation on individual post-it notes as you
can, put them in the middle of a table and sort data into basic categories according to these
criteria:

If the aspect is clear and obvious and things are tightly connected and there is a best
practice, place it bottom right.

If the aspect has a knowable answer or a solution, has an endpoint, but requires an
expert to solve it for you, put it top right.

If the aspect has many different possible approaches, and you can’t be sure what is
going to work and no one really has an answer, put it top left.

If the aspect is a total crisis, and you are overwhelmed by it, put it bottom left.

If you can’t figure out which domain to put the aspect in, leave it in the middle for now.
NOT EVERY POST IT NOTE NEEDS TO GO IN THE FOUR OUTER DOMAINS.
Now you have a table with five clusters of post-it notes. You can do lots of things with your
data now, but for me the next step is to have a look at the stuffBLOG
on the right side. MakeRESOURCES
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boundary between the stuff you can do right now (Clear) and the stuff you need an expert to
help you with (Complicated). You can cluster similar pieces of data together and suddenly you
have little projects taking shape.

In the top left corner (Complex), make a distinction between things that are more tightly
constrained and things that are less tightly constrained. Think of this domain as a spectrum
from closed to open. For example, moving my work online is constrained by needing a laptop
and some software, and a place to work and some hours in the day to minimize interruptions.
Those are fairly tight constraints, even though I know that I’m not going to get it right the first
time around and no expert will solve it for me. I have to make it work for my context. Figuring
out how to manage a team of eight people from home is much less constrained, and even
comes close to chaotic. So that gives you a sense of the variety possible as you move from the
boundary between Complicated and Complex and the boundary between Complex and
Chaos. And you can see now why the liminal spaces exist there too. It’s not always clear cut.

Anything else on the left side that is overwhelming is in Chaos, so leave it down at the bottom
left. If it is an actual crisis, you probably should take care of it right now and then come back
to your framework later!

Stuff that is still confusing stays in the middle and you might want to take a crack at sorting
things into Aporetic and Confused. An example of Aporetic might be trying to figure out
whether you have the virus or not without being able to get tested. Because you can’t know
for sure, you have to hold that knowledge in suspension and let your actions be guided by the
idea that you might have it, but you might not too. But you might. You just can’t know right
now.
So now you have options:
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For Clear aspects, just do them. Don’t put them off either, because failing to do so will
drop you into chaos. WASH YOUR HANDS OFTEN FOR 20 SECONDS WITH SOAP.
That’s an order. Orders work well here.

For Complicated aspects make a plan. You might be able to find someone to help you
learn the technical aspects of setting up a zoom meeting. You’ll definitely find videos
and technical documentation to help you do it. You can learn that skill or find someone
who knows it. This is what is meant by Sense-Analyse-Respond. Do a literature search,
listen to the experts, and execute.

For Complex problems, get a sense of possibilities and then try something and watch
what happens. Figuring out how to be at home with your kids is pure complexity: you
can get advice from others, talk about with friends and strangers, read blog posts and
tweets, but the bottom line is that you need to get to work and learn as you go,
engaging in a rapid iterative cycle and see if helpful patterns emerge. As you learn
things, document practices and principles that help guide you in making decisions. If
rules are too tight, loosen them. If the kids need more structure, apply it. Finding those
sweet spots requires adaptive action, and learning as you go. Here we talk about
Probe-Sense-Respond. Don;t worry about collecting tons of information before acting:
it won’t help you past a certain point. Act on a hunch first and monitor the results as
you go.

Liminal complexity means that you are choosing to enter into proximity to either
Complicated of Chaos. if you apply constraints (like enforcing rules on the kids) you are
moving complexity towards the ordered domains. That might work, but too much
rigidity will create problems. On the other hand, if your constraints are too rigid you
may find yourself unwittingly creating patterns that make it hard to flow with the
changing times. And so you release the constraints until you can discover something
 new and helpful, and then apply constraints again to help you manage in complex times.
An example might be adopting the assumption that youBLOG
are a carrier of the virus
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and
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letting that assumption guide your behaviours. That helps you to make choices that will
probably benefit you and the people around you. (And here are some heuristics to
practice with if you have kids at home during the pandemic)

For chaos, you are going to need to apply constraints quickly and maintain them until
the situation stabilizes. That might mean self-quarantine if you are infected and sharing
a house with others. It might mean relying on emergency services to impose those
constraints for you.

For confusion, think of this as the top of the fountain and as new data enters your
system, add it there until it trickles into the right domain. I like to revisit things that are
in this domain from time to time, because as I get to work on stuff, sometimes my
confusion about other things disappears, or sometimes I find a true paradox that can
never be resolved and those are delightful in themselves.

So, to conclude

In summary:

Cynefin is a five (expanding to seven) domain framework. Whatever you are doing
probably has aspects of all the domains at play at any given time.

If you need to learn something, or discover new things, loosen constraints. If you need
to stabilize a situation, tighten constraints.

In the Ordered domains, rules, laws, and experts are helpful and should be obeyed. In
the unordered domains, principles and heuristics should be adopted that are coherent
with goodness, safety, and care, to guide behaviour and learn new things.

In chaos, stabilizing the situation is most important. Act now to restrict your actions
 and once things are stable, make the next move.

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Be careful, be aware, be connected, learn and share as you go. None of us have been here
before, so offer grace and support. Try to look at what is happening and suspend your
judgement. Don’t spread information unless you know it is reliable, and help each other out.

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In "Complexity" In "Complexity" In "Complexity"

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Learning with your kids at home: how we

Into the chrysalis
unschooled

C t
12 Comments
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Stephen Grey
March 23, 2020 at 10:32 am

That’s a really useful coherent piece with some practical advice on application

Reply

julian still
March 23, 2020 at 4:55 pm

Brilliant Chris! Thanks, this is the most concise ‘how to’ on Cynefin I’ve seen. I’ll
retweet asap.

Reply

Ria Baeck
March 23, 2020 at 6:33 pm

Really, really helpful! I learned a couple of things! Thanks again!

Reply
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Ben Roberts
March 23, 2020 at 7:47 pm

So useful and clear, Chris. Thank you! I appreciate the insight that what is
happening now crosses MANY domains. I know that one of the patterns Cynefin
reveals is our tendency to have personal biases for working within one of the
domains–the one we are most trained in and comfortable with–and therefore to
see the world through that lens and treat every situation or decision we are faced
with as if it is in that domain. The current set of situations we face collectively
seems primed for this kind of mischief given that it is producing so many different
contexts all at once.

Reply

Onno Geveke
March 25, 2020 at 7:49 am

Hi Chris,
Beautiful piece of writing. And helpful in conversations where meaning making is
essential. In work environments, I see people trying to create a ‘business as usual’
working environment, but then remotely. While not really addressing the personal
impact of the current Corona pandemic. One question which popped up while
reading this is: ‘how do we stay sane in times of confusion and unknown territory?’.
Wishing you good health, Onno
Reply
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Chris Corrigan
March 25, 2020 at 8:04 am

I can only offer heuristics here. Be kind, go slow, stay safe, think of
others.”

Reply

Vlad Lichtenthal
March 30, 2020 at 6:31 pm

I have some ideas about how to stay “sane”, and at the same time. On one
hand, I’m not sure if the people who are concerned will like the answers.
On the other hand, “That which we need the most will be found where
we least want to look.” (C. Jung)
If anyone has a real problem staying “sane”. It is more a manifestation of
a trait called “neuroticism”. It’s probably amplified by a series of
environmental factors such as: media consumption, a lack of physical
exercise, negative self-talk and “systems thinking in a world of
complexity”.
I have two more quotes and a recommendation:
“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick
society.” (J. Krishnamurti);
“Between stimulus and response, there is space. InSERVICES
BLOG that space isRESOURCES
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power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our
freedom.” (attributed to V. Frankl)
Btw. it’s not the “freedom to…”, it’s the “freedom from…”, e.g. prejudice,
‘fixed’ mindset, old behavior patterns etc.
The ancient Greeks had a word for the ability to show up as the best
version of yourself moment, to moment, to moment. They called it:
“areté” (excellence).
However, areté is not an act, it’s a habit.

Just ask yourself: Did I do my best to facilitate “sanity” for me, my family,
my peers, and society at large? Did I respond with areté?

Reply

Vlad Lichtenthal
March 30, 2020 at 6:47 pm

“Between stimulus and response, there is space. In that space is our

power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our
freedom.” (V. Frankl)
Btw. it’s not the “freedom to…”, it’s the “freedom from…”, e.g. prejudice,
‘fixed’ mindset, old and unhelpful behavior patterns etc.
The ancient Greeks had a word for the ability to show up as the best
version of yourself moment, to moment, to moment. They called it:
“ té” ( ll )
 “areté” (excellence).
However, areté is not an act, it’s a habit
BLOG SERVICES RESOURCES COURSES ABOUT CONTACT

Reply

Chaos to Complex :: everything is not an emergency

March 26, 2020 at 5:51 am

[…] a smart colleague Chris Corrigan wrote a great updated article about the cynefin
framework and the updates that have happened […]
Reply

Food for Agile Thought #235: Future Remote Work, Cynefin 2020, Your
Family Is not a Scrum Team, Escape from the Feature Factory - Agile
Coaching Hub
March 27, 2020 at 2:56 am

[…] Source: A tour around the latest Cynefin iteration […]

Reply

Gary Wong
March 27, 2020 at 5:39 am

Awesome post Chris I admit I was bothered the idea of Confusion in the Disorder
Awesome post, Chris. I admit I was bothered the idea of Confusion in the Disorder
domain. With the earlier versions of Cynefin, I associated “confusion” with the
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Complex domain. Probably came from that oldy but goldy “Strategy as Cynefin
Dynamics” slide that showed Exploration (Complicated to Complex) and Just-in-
Time Transfer (Complex to Complicated). For example, my spiel to a Process
Improvement team was if you are getting confused and not sure your Complicated
work is in the right direction, head over to the Complex domain and explore. Talk to
key people to understand and see if the environment has changed. Then move back
to the Complicated domain with the JIT information.
I like to think all Cynefin practitioners say all no domain is important than any
other. I do that but then don’t really talk much about the Disorder domain. Case in
point is looking at all situations related to COVID-19 as residing in the Chaotic
domain. As you wrote, they aren’t.
Thanks for helping with my unlearning and acceptance of A/C.

Reply

Chris Corrigan
March 27, 2020 at 5:41 am

Cool Gary, thanks. Saying Confusion is the most important domain helps
me to remember that it is the first place we arrive. If I’m not confused,
no need to use Cynefin. If I am confused, stop and think about it.
Confusion maybe should be thought of as the doorway into the
framework.
 Reply

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