Effective leaders understand that different situations require various decisions and responses and within these situations lies numerous levels of complexity. Snowden and Boone (2007) developed the Cynefin Framework “to see things from new viewpoints, assimilate complex concepts, and address real-world problems and opportunities” (p. 70). This framework “sorts the issues facing leaders into five contexts defined by the nature of the relationship between cause and effect” (Snowden & Boone, 2007, p. 70): simple, complicated, complex, and chaotic. The fifth context, disorder, pertains when the primary context is unclear.
The first example of a decision I made in multiple contexts occurred while supervising. My responsibility was to supervise and instruct employees on assembling locomotive components such as alternators and rotors. I typically operated within a complicated context in a realm of known unknowns on a daily basis. Quality and supply chain problems were common, but I became adept at sensing, analyzing, and responding appropriately. However, one shift proved to be especially challenging. We had some emergency orders that needed to be fulfilled and even the slightest delay in our processes would put our schedule in jeopardy. As luck would have it, a machine on the assembly line broke and created a complex context. This situation put everyone into a slight panic and scrambling for a solution. It was second shift and all the leaders who make the big business decisions were already home for the night. There was no time to waste, so I gathered my workers who I viewed as the experts and we quickly devised a plan. This was an important step because “a leader must listen to the experts while simultaneously welcoming novel thoughts and solutions from others” (Snowden & Boone, 2007, p. 72). The plan worked flawlessly and despite the setback, we successfully fulfilled the emergency order.
My second example runs the gamut of all four contexts during my brief career as a contract specialist. On any given day I found myself constantly bouncing around each context with zero predictability. Some people embraced the unpredictability, but I was not one of those people. And while Snowden and Boone (2007) suggest that “leaders who understand that the world is often irrational and unpredictable will find the Cynefin framework particularly useful” (p. 70), the problem was time. There was a minimal time spent operating within simple contexts because time constraints rarely allowed it. Therefore, I spent most of my efforts searching for answers using incomplete data within complex contexts and sometimes even crossing into chaotic contexts. One such example was when I was tasked with awarding multiple contracts before the end of the fiscal year deadline. I was given too many contracts for the amount of time to award them. And despite the many hours of overtime I spent managing my workload, the clock was about to run out. I noticed some of my coworkers were somehow managing to accomplish their workload, but after further examination, the quality of their work was subpar and even noncompliant. I thought for a second I would have to conform to a lackluster standard to get my work done, but I knew I wasn’t wired that way. So I pressed on. This was a chaotic context filled with turbulence, tension, and unknowables. Nonetheless, even though it came down to the final hour, I looked for what would work instead of perfect solutions and accomplished the awards in time.
The Cynefin Framework provides an essential roadmap of sorts when navigating amongst different contexts and having to make important decisions within them. One way this framework can assist in the decision-making process is bringing to light how entrained thinking must be avoided. As Snowden and Boone (2007) state, “leaders are susceptible to entrained thinking, a conditioned response that occurs when people are blinded to new ways of thinking by the perspectives they acquired through past experience, training, and success” (p. 70). Another way the Cynefin Framework helps is by identifying the leader’s role within each context. For example, a leader must sense, categorize and respond within the simple context while a leader needs to act, sense, and respond within the chaotic context. A third and fourth way it improves decisions is by recognizing the danger signals and responses to these dangers related to a leader’s decision for each context. The fifth way it helps with these decisions is by stressing the importance of understanding context, “the ability to embrace complexity and paradox, and a willingness to flexibly change leadership style” (Snowden & Boone, 2007, p. 76).
Reference:
Snowden, D. J., & Boone, M. E. (2007). A Leader's Framework for Decision Making. Harvard Business Review, 85(11), 68-76.
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