1. COMPLEXITY,
CHANGE ANDYOU
(Or what will become known forever as “the LEGO workshop.”)

2. LaurieWidmark
Senior Manager, Organizational Renewal
Human Services
laurie.widmark@gov.ab.ca

3. AngieTarasoff
Senior Manager,Technology Planning and Management
Alberta Education, SchoolTechnology
angie.tarasoff@gov.ab.ca
@angietarasoff
http://ca.linkedin.com/in/angietarasoff/
www.newernormal.ca
http://www.scoop.it/t/managing-complexity

4. HANDS-ON
Complexity and the Cynefin Framework

5. What is about to happen?
•Four exercises
•After each exercise, we’ll unpack what
you and your team experienced

6. Activity 1
•Sort the pieces by colour
•Decide among yourselves what pieces will
be treated as special
•Put “special” pieces into one pile

7. SIMPLE
Best practice
Cause = Effect
Known
Feudal Leadership
Sense-Categorize-Respond

8. Activity 2
•Build a tower that is at least 20 bricks tall
•The tower must have a regular colour
pattern
•Upper layers may not be wider than lower
layers

9. SIMPLE
Best practice
Cause = Effect
Known
Feudal Leadership
Sense-Categorize-Respond
COMPLICATED
Good practice
Cause -> Effect
Knowable
Expert Leadership
Sense-Analyze-Respond

10. Activity 3
•Build an animal or a vehicle
•It must have a regular colour pattern
•Each colour of brick may be handled by
only one person
•You have 30 seconds to plan, after that no
talking or whispering
•Your group will be moved with your
structure to another table every minute

11. SIMPLE
Best practice
Cause = Effect
Known
Feudal Leadership
Sense-Categorize-Respond
COMPLICATED
Good practice
Cause -> Effect
Knowable
Expert Leadership
Sense-Analyze-Respond
COMPLEX
Emergent practice
[CE]
Retrospectively knowable
Networked Leadership
Probe-Sense-Respond

12. Activity 4
•Build a building or a plant
•Rules from before apply
•Your group will be moved with your
structure to another table every minute
•At random times we will move randomly
selected people from one group to
another
•No planning time & no talking

13. SIMPLE
Best practice
Cause = Effect
Known
Feudal Leadership
Sense-Categorize-Respond
COMPLICATED
Good practice
Cause -> Effect
Knowable
Expert Leadership
Sense-Analyze-Respond
COMPLEX
Emergent practice
[CE]
Retrospectively knowable
Networked Leadership
Probe-Sense-Respond
CHAOS
Novel practice
C≠E
Unknowable
Charismatic Leadership
Act-Sense-Respond

14. SIMPLE
Best practice
Cause = Effect
Known
Feudal Leadership
Sense-Categorize-Respond
COMPLICATED
Good practice
Cause -> Effect
Knowable
Expert Leadership
Sense-Analyze-Respond
COMPLEX
Emergent practice
[CE]
Retrospectively knowable
Networked Leadership
Probe-Sense-Respond
CHAOS
Novel practice
C≠E
Unknowable
Charismatic Leadership
Act-Sense-Respond
DISORDER

15. Cynefin (Kuh-ne-vin) Framework
•Sensemaking model
•Designed to help leaders understand their
context in order to respond appropriately
•Organizations are complex
•Dynamic
•Non-linear
•Emergent characteristics
•Variable
•Small changes can have significant impact

16. Resources
Video:The Cynefin Framework http://bit.ly/complexity1
Video: Longitude (EntrainedThinking) http://bit.ly/complexity2
Video:Apollo 13 (Creativity/Innovation) http://bit.ly/complexity03
Video: How to Organise a Children’s Party http://bit.ly/complexity4
Cynefin Framework
Snowden, D.J. Boone, M. 2007. "A Leader's Framework for Decision
Making". Harvard Business Review, November 2007, pp. 69–76.
Workshop exercises adapted from:
Agile 42. "Cynefin Framework Lego Game." Agile 42. N.p., 25 Dec. 2011.
Web. 17 Nov. 2013

17. SENSEMAKING

18. Cynefin and you
Considering your experiences,
preferences and education, in which
Cynefin domain:
•Do you feel the most comfortable? Why?
•Do you feel the least comfortable? Why?
•Does your “usual” work fit?

19. Cynefin and you
What strategies can you employ to
succeed in problem domains that are
outside your comfort zone?

20. Cynefin and your work

21. Cynefin and your work
Considering this, what are some
strategies that you can use to manage
these challenges effectively?

22. The Organization inTheory

23. The Organization in Reality
Actually
listens to
Wants his
job
Rivals
Dislikes
Golf
Buddies
Grudge
Religious
Affiliation
Office Romance
Married
Admires
Dislikes

24. HANDS ON
Polarity Management

25. Polarities to manage are sets of
opposites that can’t function well
independently. Because the two
sides of a polarity are interdependent,
you cannot chose one as a
“solution” and neglect the other.
The objective of the Polarity
Management perspective is to get the
best of both opposites while avoiding
the limits of each.
(Johnson, 1996)

26. Activity 1: Identifying Polarities
Finish this sentence:
Sometimes, I think this
team/organization is too__________. At
those times, I wish this team/organization
would be more________________.

27. Activity 1: Identifying Polarities
What other polarities can we identify?
Consider:
Is the difficulty ongoing? Does shifting from
one pole to another offer a final, complete
solution?
Are the poles interdependent? Can you
emphasize one and neglect the other without
negative consequences?

28. Polarity Polarity
+ +
- -Deeper Fear: what happens if we don’t balance?
Higher Purpose: why balance this polarity?
Value
The positive results of
focusing on this pole
Value
The positive results of
focusing on this pole
Fears
The negative results of
focusing on this pole and
neglecting the other pole
Fears
The negative results of
focusing on this pole and
neglecting the other pole

29. Diplomacy Candor
+ +
- -Deeper Fear
Higher Purpose

30. Activity 3: Upsides/Downsides
• Select a polarity that resonates with you
• Working with your group, brainstorm upsides and downsides of
each pole
• Thinking about this polarity pair, what is the higher purpose and
deeper fear associated with it?
• Record your results on the worksheet

31. Activity 2:What do you see here?

32. Polarity Polarity
+ +
- -Deeper Fear: what happens if we don’t balance?
Higher Purpose: why balance this polarity?
Because I prefer this pole, I…
…try to prevent these bad
things from happening, and…
…I miss out on leveraging these
upsides, so…
…I end up here.


33. Polarity Polarity
+ +
- -Deeper Fear: what happens if we don’t balance?
Higher Purpose: why balance this polarity?
Well-managed polarities allow organizations
to leverage upsides of both poles and
minimize the downsides

34. Activity 4:
Action Plans and Red Flags
•Continuing to work on your polarity map,
indicate:
•What steps will be taken by whom to ensure that the
upsides of both polarity are leveraged?
•What indicators or warning signs will you notice or
measure to determine if a downside is being
experienced?
•What will you do about it?

35. Just testing.

36. SENSEMAKING
What Now?

37. Thinking back…
•What were 2-3 big ideas discussed?
•What resonated with you?
•What surprised, excited, worried or
puzzled you?
•What new vantage point or insight did
you gain?
•What will you do differently as a result?

38. References
Polarity Management
Johnson, B. (2009). Handbook of polarity
management: identifying and managing
unsolvable problems. Amherst, Mass: HRD Press.

39. RESOURCE SLIDES

40. DESIGNTHINKING,
MINDSETS AND
CYNEFIN
Carol Dweck, Ph.D., Jeanne Liedtka, DBA, and Dave Snowden, MBA
Mashed Up

41. OUTLOOK
UNCERTAINTY
NEW EXPERIENCES
REPERTOIRE
Do the job
right and …
Limit
Avoid
Develop
Narrow
Consider problems
objectively
Focus on a few clear
ideas
Reduce risk with
research and data
Make calculated
investments
Make incremental
progress
Unstable Environment
Complex & Chaotic
Stable Environment
(Simple & Complicated)

42. OUTLOOK
UNCERTAINTY
NEW EXPERIENCES
REPERTOIRE
Do the job
right and …
Continuously
learn, adapt
and …
LimitAccept
AvoidSeek
Develop
Narrow
Develop
Broad
Consider problems
objectively
Focus on a few clear
ideas
Reduce risk with
research and data
Make calculated
investments
Make incremental
progress
Develop multiple
opportunities
Manage risk through
action
Place small bets,
quickly
Succeed more often
in new situations
Consider problems
empathetically
Unstable Environment
Complex & Chaotic
Stable Environment
(Simple & Complicated)

43. ORGANIZATIONS IN
THEORY AND
REALITY

44. InTheory everything is possible,
however, I live in Practice and the
road toTheory is washed out.
Don Knuth