Cynefin Framework Reflection
Applying the Cynefin Framework model, I feel, can be thought of as a very malleable, ever-shifting decision-making tool that can be influenced by the most subtle changes in any given domain that one may find them self. Keeping in mind that one's environment can shift ever-so subtly and quickly, will require an appropriate, and corresponding domain to be applied for an effective resultant to appear. The ability to timely identify this potential environmental shift, and apply the appropriate, corresponding domain in the moment is the hopes that I have for myself and my organizational peers (Snowden, 2010).
In the simple domain, where I can predictably, and quickly sense, categorize and respond, I find a few tasks on a daily basis that I apply best practice (Snowden, 2010). At the office, I am tasked to take all of the outstations' weekly input for their daily situation report (SITREP), and compile them into a particular format, and sent out to specific individuals via email for their notification by a certain time every morning. Applying the simple domain here occurs automatically. I have elements that get copy and pasted to particular sections of the SITREP. When this is complete, I add a preset email distribution group address, and hit send. The same occurs for me at home with organization that I require the night before, so in the morning, when I am still waking up, I can collect all the items that I will require at work from one location, such as my security clearance badge, wallet, car keys, coffee, and phone, instead of having to look for these items, or forgetting them completely. In addition, time management, based on that day's schedule, forces me to see what requires my attention, where, when, and for how long, and determine with these factors in mind, along with priority of urgency, how to organize my schedule for the day. However, when an unforeseen event occurs, this schedule can quickly shift into a complicated, complex, or even chaotic domain. Generally, deliberately applying the simple domain to all three examples would provide me with a greater sense of situational, as well as self-awareness within the domain allowing a third party view, rather than a feeling of being within the problem, reacting off habitual behavioral patterns (Snowden & Boone, 2007).
Approaching a complicated environment, such as that of experiencing a plumbing clog and leak from my kitchen sink, left me analyzing the full extent of the issue and determining whether or not the leak was due to a clog, poor fittings, or both. Using logical deduction, I systematically approached the issue from a couple angles; testing the tightness of all fittings to determine potential sources of leaking, and disassembling the plumbing to look for clogs that may be contributing to the problem. I had a similar approach to a problem that I encountered with my computer while working on homework. In this case, I was experiencing a malfunction in a typical download scenario. The download was not occurring, and I had to troubleshoot it to determine if it was a software issue, or hardware compatibility issue. After not resolving this issue on my own, I had it professionally looked at, and fixed. Deliberately applying the complicated domain would have, again, provided the insight and awareness of a system that allowed for a good practice to be exercised while minimizing wasted time (Snowden, 2010). The same applied to an expensive Omega watch I own whose time was too fast. After replacing the battery, resetting the time, and comparing its pace to another watch that functioned properly, it still ran fast. The only logical thing to do was to send it off to Omega for a functional check. After it was returned, it was working fine. The basic checks, followed by a more analytical assessment by Omega in my opinion was a good practice to adhere to.
One Saturday morning I went outside to find my car missing from where I left it parked and locked up. Not knowing what happened, or how, or why my car was not where I left it, was beyond me. Not knowing what to do in Germany, I continued to look around the place I lived to no avail. Shortly after, I decided to call the police to file a report. I figured, if I do what I would have done in the states, how can I go wrong? Not knowing how the police would help, I spoke with them, and waited for their response. After a police officer searched the area, they found it parked on the street around the corner. Confused, I took receipt of my car, and thanked the police officers, and drove my car back into the driveway. To this day, we do not know how, or why it was moved. Deliberately applying the complex domain, again would have brought a greater sense of organization and awareness to the situation for me. During a recent military Sensitive Activities conference, a discussion ensued where multiple members brought forth information that was received by 3rd and 4th parties that was quite different than what the actual facts were. In addition, others had made a number of assumptions, further confusing the discussion. Not being clear as to where people were 'coming from', we all had to wait for certain conversations to shift that would eventually provoke questions bringing forth the assumptions made and false information that had been relied upon. Never deliberately deciding to use the complex domain framework, most likely kept me from truly hearing what was being said, acting as a block to a more objective perspective with a plan. Another example where the complexity framework would had facilitated the decision-making process was when I had arrived late to a team training evolution that was fairly new. Arriving without knowing where in the evolution the team was at, or my place within it, left me a bit confused on the sidelines attempting what to decide next. Interjecting a question here, and there to some of my team mates, and supporting the answers with those from the training cadre, as well as the current place the evolution was in, my decision became clear as the environment developed around, along with the information I had gathered (Snowden, 2010).
It is not often I find myself experiencing a chaotic environment, where I have to take intuition and my gut instinct to quickly act in hopes it does not turn out badly for those involved. However, more often than not, my choices basically reflect the process of applying the chaotic framework domain in such an environment that calls for an immediate decision be made prior to reassessing. One evening, while on the phone with a friend, I had heard my wife's voice reach a tone of panic. As I turned around to look in her direction, she was facing my daughter who was apparently choking on something. As I turned, jumped over the back of the couch, I grabbed my daughter to discover the look on her face that expressed panic and choking. Quickly applying the Heimlich maneuver, the hotdog piece was dislodged from her throat, allowing her to breathe again. At another time while deployed in Iraq at the height of the war, my unit was engaged with small arms fire. Immediately, I looked to take cover, determine where the small arms fire was coming from, and engage. The obvious problem of not getting yourself and the situation stabilized immediately is that you and you teammates can die. Thankfully, we all made it home. However, applying the chaotic domain would have probably provided me with a little more tactical patience in the moment - a very valuable asset to have in the heat of battle. In a final instance, I received a knock on my door at home to discover a women who was begging for help with her child who was apparently epileptic and was having a seizure. As I ran out of the house to the road where she was parked, I opened the door to find the child choking on her own tongue, and biting down with great force. Asking my wife to grab me a wooden spoon, I had immediately put my finger in the little girl's mouth to prevent her from biting off her own tongue. Once my wife returned with a wooden spoon, I laid it across inside the girl's mouth, removed my bloody finger, and had my wife call for an ambulance. With the girl breathing again, I gently whispered in the girl's ear to relax and reassured her that she is okay. Shortly after, her body's tension gave way to relax just prior to the ambulance arriving. In this situation, I felt I was applying the chaotic domain throughout the event, making decisions to stabilize the situation before reassessing and sensing the domain, which eventually turned to what appeared to be a simple domain in the end (Snowden & Boone, 2007).
References:
Snowden, D. J. (2010, July 11). The Cynefin Framework. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7oz366X0-8&feature=youtu.be
Snowden, D. J., & Boone, M. E. (2007, November). A leader’s framework for decision making. Retrieved from Harvard Business Review: http://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/3459515/A_Leader_s_Framework_for_Decision_Making_-_HBR.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires=1488655914&Signature=Ke2GuPAsTzsxCs1WHzmw2qdfZQI%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DA_leaders_framework_for_decision_making.pdf
One Saturday morning I went outside to find my car missing from where I left it parked and locked up. Not knowing what happened, or how, or why my car was not where I left it, was beyond me. Not knowing what to do in Germany, I continued to look around the place I lived to no avail. Shortly after, I decided to call the police to file a report. I figured, if I do what I would have done in the states, how can I go wrong? Not knowing how the police would help, I spoke with them, and waited for their response. After a police officer searched the area, they found it parked on the street around the corner. Confused, I took receipt of my car, and thanked the police officers, and drove my car back into the driveway. To this day, we do not know how, or why it was moved. Deliberately applying the complex domain, again would have brought a greater sense of organization and awareness to the situation for me. During a recent military Sensitive Activities conference, a discussion ensued where multiple members brought forth information that was received by 3rd and 4th parties that was quite different than what the actual facts were. In addition, others had made a number of assumptions, further confusing the discussion. Not being clear as to where people were 'coming from', we all had to wait for certain conversations to shift that would eventually provoke questions bringing forth the assumptions made and false information that had been relied upon. Never deliberately deciding to use the complex domain framework, most likely kept me from truly hearing what was being said, acting as a block to a more objective perspective with a plan. Another example where the complexity framework would had facilitated the decision-making process was when I had arrived late to a team training evolution that was fairly new. Arriving without knowing where in the evolution the team was at, or my place within it, left me a bit confused on the sidelines attempting what to decide next. Interjecting a question here, and there to some of my team mates, and supporting the answers with those from the training cadre, as well as the current place the evolution was in, my decision became clear as the environment developed around, along with the information I had gathered (Snowden, 2010).
It is not often I find myself experiencing a chaotic environment, where I have to take intuition and my gut instinct to quickly act in hopes it does not turn out badly for those involved. However, more often than not, my choices basically reflect the process of applying the chaotic framework domain in such an environment that calls for an immediate decision be made prior to reassessing. One evening, while on the phone with a friend, I had heard my wife's voice reach a tone of panic. As I turned around to look in her direction, she was facing my daughter who was apparently choking on something. As I turned, jumped over the back of the couch, I grabbed my daughter to discover the look on her face that expressed panic and choking. Quickly applying the Heimlich maneuver, the hotdog piece was dislodged from her throat, allowing her to breathe again. At another time while deployed in Iraq at the height of the war, my unit was engaged with small arms fire. Immediately, I looked to take cover, determine where the small arms fire was coming from, and engage. The obvious problem of not getting yourself and the situation stabilized immediately is that you and you teammates can die. Thankfully, we all made it home. However, applying the chaotic domain would have probably provided me with a little more tactical patience in the moment - a very valuable asset to have in the heat of battle. In a final instance, I received a knock on my door at home to discover a women who was begging for help with her child who was apparently epileptic and was having a seizure. As I ran out of the house to the road where she was parked, I opened the door to find the child choking on her own tongue, and biting down with great force. Asking my wife to grab me a wooden spoon, I had immediately put my finger in the little girl's mouth to prevent her from biting off her own tongue. Once my wife returned with a wooden spoon, I laid it across inside the girl's mouth, removed my bloody finger, and had my wife call for an ambulance. With the girl breathing again, I gently whispered in the girl's ear to relax and reassured her that she is okay. Shortly after, her body's tension gave way to relax just prior to the ambulance arriving. In this situation, I felt I was applying the chaotic domain throughout the event, making decisions to stabilize the situation before reassessing and sensing the domain, which eventually turned to what appeared to be a simple domain in the end (Snowden & Boone, 2007).
References:
Snowden, D. J. (2010, July 11). The Cynefin Framework. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7oz366X0-8&feature=youtu.be
Snowden, D. J., & Boone, M. E. (2007, November). A leader’s framework for decision making. Retrieved from Harvard Business Review: http://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/3459515/A_Leader_s_Framework_for_Decision_Making_-_HBR.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIWOWYYGZ2Y53UL3A&Expires=1488655914&Signature=Ke2GuPAsTzsxCs1WHzmw2qdfZQI%3D&response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DA_leaders_framework_for_decision_making.pdf
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