Cynefin

Towards the end of 2008 we partnered with Deloitte Consulting on a research project aimed at the field of mine safety. We are painfully aware of how mine safety needs to improve, especially within the South African deep level mining context. Nicolaas Herholdt approached us to partner with him in developing a Point of View that uncovers new and important insights into mine safety that might assist in addressing the way in which safety statistics have plateaued.

The reality is that despite all the focus and attention the media and companies are giving to mine safety, deaths still occur - the improvements have stagnated - and it is clear that we are missing out on something.

We used our narrative research approach and applied the Cynefin Sense-Making Framework to make sense of the results. In general, the research identifies a clear gap between the current initiatives in place and the nature of the problems we are facing. 

Feel free to download the Point of View below or by clicking here. Read, it, discuss it, share it and then contact us for more information.

Kudos to Rob Hooper for some awesome depictions of stories gathered in the process!

At the heart of our business lies two frameworks which we translate into presentations, workshops and consulting processes:

1. Narrative Model

Besides the traditional application of storytelling in organisations, we also draw deeply on our ability to gather stories relating to various problems facing the organisation. These anecdotes and narratives are used to understand the problem, providing the organisation with a language to describe it, which is then used in turn to educate, motivate and shift mindsets towards sustainable change. Read more about the model at our Narrative Model page here.

2. Complexity Framework

Developed by Prof. Dave Snowden under the Cognitive Edge banner, the Complexity Framework helps us understand the nature of the problems we face in organisations. It essentially helps us distinguish the simple problems from the complicated, and the complex problems from the chaotic. The Framework also gives us a strategy for addressing each type of problem.

Some quotes we consult by ...

“Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
- Albert Einstein

"Many great ideas go unexecuted, and many great executioners are without great ideas. One without the other is worthless.”

- Tim Blixseth

Our approach to change

We believe that by gathering narratives and applying the complexity framework, we are able to find the relatively simple solutions that will shift the nature of complex problems. What does this mean?

We liken change to the way in which a large oil tanker turns. Despite its size, an oil tanker needs to turn pretty quickly in the face of a large storm. At the captains disposal is the rudder - a rather small piece of gear in comparison to the size of the ship. The problem is that the rudder can only turn the ship within a defined turning circle. This is fine when facing anticipated storms at sea. What does a captain do when faced with an unexpected foe? 

Engineers have found the answer: simply add a thin sliver of metal to the rudder, known as an efficiency rudder, that accentuates the turning forces generated by the rudder. The result? The turning circle of the tanker is greatly reduced, and the ship is able to navigate itself away from the storm.

Is the same not true of our organisations? That in the face of anticipated problems and changes, we can turn the organisation around with tried and tested methods? What happens however when we face problems and changes that catch us off-guard? What is the efficiency rudder for our organisations?

And so, The Narrative Lab assists companies by gathering narratives and applying the complexity framework so that we are able to find the relatively simple solutions that will shift the nature of complex problems.

What do you get when you pull together a former meteorologist, an enigmatic maven and a former narrative therapist? Answer:The Narrative Lab and pretty informative breakfast conversation on complexity in the business landscape.

In an amazingly short amount of time we managed to showcase our keynote on complexity (The New Simplicity), listen to a customised podcast from Prof. Dave Snowden on the Cynefin framework, hear how our methods are applied in practice and to talk briefly about the SenseMaker software we use when working with mass narrative capture.

Thanks to all our friends, partners, potential par­tners, clients and client-hopefuls for coming along to our first breakfast conversation on Friday. For those that could not make it, we're sad - but there will be a next time.

As promised, we have uploaded Dave's podcast which you can download here(right click + save as - 8MB) and his accompanying slideshow here (right click + save as - 3MB).

The Cynefin Sense-making framework is a model we use very often to explain the use of business narrative and complexity in organisations.  I came across this great explanation of it by Shawn Callahan from Anecdote in Australia on the Cognitive Edge guest blog.