A arte da vida

The New Dynamics of Strategy sense-making in a complex-complicated world

Cynthia F Kurtz and David J Snowden
Cynefin Centre for Organisational Complexity IBM Global Services www.ibm.com/services/cynefin [e-mail] [e-mail] (corresponding author)

We challenge the universality of three basic assumptions prevalent (in our view) in organizational decision support and strategy: assumptions of order, of rational choice, and of intentional capability. We describe the Cynefin framework, a sense-making device we have developed to help people make sense of the complexities made visible by the relaxation of these assumptions. The Cynefin framework is derived from several years of action research into the use of narrative and complexity theory in organizational knowledge exchange, decision making, strategy and policy making. The framework is explained, its conceptual underpinnings are outlined, and its use in group sense-making and discourse is described. Finally, the consequences of relaxing the three basic assumptions, using the Cynefin framework as a mechanism, are considered.

Over the past several years our group has been conducting a program of disruptive action research using the methods of narrative and of complexity theory to address critical business issues (see e.g., Snowden 1999b). We started work in the areas of knowledge management, cultural change and community dynamics; expanded into product development, market creation and branding; and have in recent years been working increasingly in the area of national and organizational strategy. Some of this work has been directly funded by the U.S. government through DARPA as well as by other government agencies, in particular in Singapore, which are interested in new approaches to supporting policy making. The central element of our approach is the Cynefin framework for sense-making. In this paper we will describe the framework and its conceptual basis, and we will detail some of its uses for