Cynefin

The Cynefin framework, developed by Dave Snowden in 1999, is another conceptual model which helps to distinguish simple, complicated, complex, and chaotic problems. It describes different approaches to take for each of these domains, depending on the relationship between cause and effect.

Clear (Simple/Obvious): Problems in this domain are straightforward, with clear cause-effect relationships. Solutions are well known and repeatable, which allows for best practices to develop and remain relevant. You need to identify the problem, categorize it and respond. For example: if you need to bake a cake, you simply find a recipe and then follow it.

Complicated: While there might be good approach for addressing a complicated problem, the best approach may not be immediately obvious. Expertise and analysis are required to find the desired solution, not just categorization. Complicated problems, like sending a rocket to the moon, usually have sets of good practices that can be applied.

Complex: In complex situations, cause and effect can only be understood in retrospect. Patterns emerge over time, and experimentation is helpful. Snowden’s recommended approach to these situations is to probe, sense, and respond, allowing learning to take place and solutions to emerge through iteration. Raising children is complex.  Each child’s situation is unique, involving friendship networks, family dynamics, prevailing rules or laws, personal and family health, personality and neurodiversity, etc. 

Chaotic: Snowden defines chaos as the situation when there is no apparent relationship between cause and effect. In chaotic systems, there might be some simple rules underlying the chaos, but they won’t be obvious. Immediate action is required to stabilize the situation. In crisis management, only after taking action can one begin to make sense of what is happening.

Disorder: This is the state of not knowing which domain applies. Snowden suggests that the first step is to break down the situation and assign its parts to the appropriate domains so the right response can be chosen.

The Cynefin framework describes how the nature of a situation translates into context-appropriate decision making.  Snowden has continued to evolve the framework since its inception. The names of the domains have shifted over time (e.g., from “Simple” to “Obvious” to “Clear”) and “Emergent” has become “Exaptive” (repurposing a natural adaptation to serve a different function in a different domain).

The Cynefin framework is a four-quadrant model that organizes decision-making domains around a central state of disorder. It defines contexts based on the relationship between cause and effect, ranging from Simple (obvious, Best Practice) to Complex (perceived in hindsight, Emergent Practice).
Shows the same four quadrants with only the label, the type of practice and the sequence of steps needed. Steps include processes like sense, probe, categorize, analyze, act and respond.
Four quadrants with type of practice only.

Deeper Dive

Related Frameworks

  • Cake Rocket Child: provides an analogy for processes that are simple, complicated and complex
  • Complex versus Complicated: more features to help with distinctions
  • Stacey Matrix: considers relationship between cause and effect in organizations as being about certainty and agreement