A632.8.3RB_CliftonEmily

The Cynefin Framework model was introduced to assist management (or anyone really) with delegating and determining which decision to make when presented with a conflict or choice. It is made up of four quadrants:

1.       Simple (known): consisting of repeating patterns and consistent events.

2.       Complicated (knowable): consisting of patterns that are known, but not always apparent.

3.       Complex: there are no correct or concrete correct responses, can be unpredictable

4.       Chaotic: very turbulent and volatile, no clear patterns or relationships

I believe these are nice little boxes that we can dump problems and decisions into to help us determine which ones to tackle fist. I honestly feel that this is a trumped up version of the Eisenhower Matrix which categorizes tasks (and decisions) in four quadrants:

     

1.       Not important, not urgent (simple)

2.       Urgent, but not important (complicated)

3.       Important, but not urgent (complex)

4.       Urgent and Important (chaotic)

If you compare them  you can really see the similarities:

You can see where the similarities are. If you imagine your desk, would you want it covered with assignments and papers in no such order? No, of course not. If there is no order to your daily life, nothing will get done. When you use a organizational system such as the Cynefin Framework or the Eisenhower Matrix, it rearranges all that paperwork on your desk into neat file folders ordered in importance of completion.

There are several ways the Cynefin Framework can help to facilitate improved context for decision making; obviously it helps us to identify which decisions are important, it can aid is categorizing and organizing the decisions to be made and problems to solve into more manageable portions. The Cynefin Framework can help to determine which tasks and decisions can be delegated and which we need to tackle ourselves.

References:

Levine, S. (2009). Getting to resolution turning conflict into collaboration (2nd ed.). San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Snowden, D.J., and Boone, M.E. (2007). A leaders framework for decision making. Havard Business Review. Retrieved from http://www.mpiweb.org/CMS/uploadedFiles/Article%20for%20Marketing%20-%20Mary%20Boone.pdf