Cynefin

The Cynefin framework is a knowledge management model that is used to describe problems, situations and systems. The model provides a typology of contexts that provide a clue can apply what kind of explanations and / or solutions.

Cynefin is a Welsh word which is usually translated into German as ' habitat ' or ' place', although this translation can not convey its full meaning. A full translation of the word would testify that we all have multiple pasts of which we can be only partially aware: cultural, religious, geographical, phylogenetic, etc.

The term was chosen by the Welsh scholar Dave Snowden to illustrate the evolutionary nature of complex systems, including their inherent uncertainty. The name is a reminder that all human interactions are strongly influenced by our experiences and often completely determined by the fact, both through the direct influence of personal experience and through collective experience as stories or music.

The Cynefin framework is based on research from the theory of complex adaptive systems, cognitive science, anthropology and narrative patterns, as well as evolutionary psychology. It " explores the relationship between man, experience, and context" and suggests new avenues for communication before, decision making, policy making and knowledge management in complex social environment.

Origin

The Cynefin framework was originally developed by Dave Snowden in 1999 in the context of knowledge management and organizational strategy. It was originally a modification of Max Boisots I- Space, combined with the study of actual (as opposed to announced ) management practice at IBM. By 2002 it had developed so far that it involved the theory of complex adaptive systems and had begun to be a general strategy model.

Description of the framework

The Cynefin framework has five domains. The first four of these are:

• Simple, in which the relationship between cause and effect is obvious to all. The approach here is as Sense - categorize - Respond and we can best practices (best practice ) apply.
• Complicated, in which requires the relationship between cause and effect analysis or some other form of examination and / or the application of knowledge. Here you go by Sense - Respond zoom, and you can good practice (good practice ) apply - Analyze.
• Complex, in which the relationship between cause and effect can only be perceived in retrospect, but not in advance. Here is the approach Probe - Sense - Respond and we can find emergent practices ( emergent practice).
• Chaotic, in which there is no relationship between cause and effect at the system level. Here is the approach Act - Sense - Respond and we can discover innovative practices.

The fifth domain is Disorder, the condition of not knowing what type of causality. In this state, the people go back to their own comfort zone when they make a decision. In full use, Cynefin has sub- domains, and the boundary between "simple " and "chaotic " is seen as catastrophic: complacency leads to failure.

Applications

The work of Snowden and his team began initially in the areas of knowledge management, cultural change and group dynamics. They dealt later with some critical aspects of the business, such as Product development, market development and branding. More recently, their activities also included issues of corporate strategy and national security.

Others have the Cynefin framework for purposes such as analysis of policy design within the George W. Bush administration and the influence of religion on this process, the type of response to bioterrorism, as well as aspects of the measurement in the UK National Health Service. The framework was also used for retrospective analysis of crisis situations, the management of risks in the food chain, to study the interaction between civilians and military during the civil protection, as well as for the detection of patterns in the questions of citizens ( social) service organizations.

Influence

The Cynefin framework and related open-source methods are extensively used by a large and growing group of practitioners worldwide: BT Group, IBM, Oracle Corporation and Microsoft are the most common examples.

Its use in the context of leadership was the cover story in the Harvard Business Review in November 2007 The article in question was referred to as the best practitioner paper in the field of Organizational Behavior from the Organizational Behavior Division of the Academy of Management 2007, with the following citation: ". The paper performs an important new perspective one which has great future value, and does so in a clear approach, which shows that it can be used. (The article ) makes several significant contributions. First and foremost, he leads the complexity science as a guide to thought and action for managers. Second, it applies this perspective to advance a typology of contexts to help guide people to sort the variety of situations in which they must make decisions. Third, she advises executives in the actions they should take in response. "