Cynefin Framework
The Cynefin Framework is a sense-making framework created by Dave Snowden in 1999 that sorts situations into five domains (clear, complicated, complex, chaotic and confusion) according to how well cause and effect can be known. Each domain calls for a different order of response, so a group first agrees what kind of situation it faces and only then chooses how to act. In a workshop it is typically run as a sorting exercise in which issues are placed on the diagram and matched with a fitting approach. Cynefin is a registered trademark of The Cynefin Company; this page describes common workshop use and is not affiliated with or endorsed by it.
Facilitation script
- 1
Collect the items on sticky notes and check that each describes a concrete situation or decision.
10 min - 2
Explain the five domains with one example each and the response pattern that belongs to it. Keep the diagram visible.
10 min - 3
Sort the items. For each, ask the diagnostic questions, let people state their view and place the note. Mark items the group disagrees on.
25 min - 4
Revisit items in confusion and the disputed ones. Split them into parts where needed and place the parts.
10 min - 5
Work domain by domain and agree the type of response for the items there, including first experiments for complex items.
15 min - 6
Agree owners and first steps, and note which items the group expects to move to another domain.
10 min
Tips
Use the disagreements.
When half the group sees an item as complicated and the other half as complex, the conversation about why is worth more than the final position of the note.
Watch for the habit of placing everything in the domain the group is most comfortable with, which for expert teams is usually complicated.
Keep the theory short and let people learn the domains by sorting real items.
Common pitfalls
Treating the domains as a neat grid of categories. Real issues often have parts in several domains, and forcing a single label hides that
Placing most items in complicated because the room is full of experts. Complex issues then get analysis and plans where they need experiments
Stopping after the sorting. Without agreeing a different response per domain, the workshop produces labels and no change in behaviour
Calling something clear out of habit. Complacency about established practice is how situations tip from clear into chaos
Spending 40 minutes on theory. Participants lose energy before they touch their own issues, and the model stays abstract
Variations
A short version sorts five to eight current issues in 30 minutes at the start of a planning session. A fuller version sorts a whole backlog and ends with experiment designs for the complex items. Online, place the diagram on a shared board and have people position notes silently before discussing the outliers. The domain names have changed over the years (the clear domain was earlier called known, simple and then obvious), so check which version participants have seen. Snowden's own facilitation methods for the framework are not described here.
Where it fits
When to use it
A leadership team applies the same planning approach to every problem and keeps being surprised by some of them
The group argues about whether to analyse further or to start experimenting
A backlog mixes routine tasks, expert problems and open-ended challenges and needs different handling for each
A project with a detailed plan failed and the team wants to understand whether the plan suited the type of problem
Before a strategy or change process, to decide where best practice applies and where learning by trying is needed
When not to use it
The group needs a decision between concrete options today. Cynefin classifies the situation and does not choose, so follow with a decision method or use one directly
There is an acute crisis. Stabilise first and reflect on the domain afterwards
Participants want a simple first tool for the same idea. The Agreement-Certainty Matching Matrix covers similar ground with less theory
The task is to map causes within one problem. Use a Causal Loop Diagram or Five Whys, since Cynefin sorts problems and does not analyse them
The facilitator has only read a summary. Misapplied as a rigid two-by-two matrix, the framework labels issues without changing how they are handled
Related methods
Further reading
Frequently asked questions
What is Cynefin Framework?▾
The Cynefin Framework is a sense-making framework created by Dave Snowden in 1999 while he worked at IBM Global Services. It distinguishes five domains (clear, complicated, complex, chaotic and confusion) by how knowable the link between cause and effect is. Groups use it to recognise what kind of situation they are in and to choose a way of responding that fits.
What does the word Cynefin mean?▾
Cynefin is a Welsh word usually translated as habitat, haunt or the place one is acquainted with. Snowden uses it to point to the many influences from our surroundings and history that shape how we perceive a situation.
What is the difference between complicated and complex?▾
In a complicated situation cause and effect can be worked out through analysis or expertise, and there may be several good answers, as in repairing an aircraft engine. In a complex situation cause and effect can only be seen in hindsight, so no amount of analysis gives the answer in advance. There the fitting response is to run small experiments, observe what happens and build on what works.
How do you use Cynefin in a workshop?▾
The common format is a sorting exercise. The group writes its issues on sticky notes, discusses each against a few diagnostic questions, places it in a domain and then agrees a response type per domain. Plan 30 to 90 minutes depending on the number of items.
Where can I read the original description for managers?▾
Dave Snowden and Mary E. Boone described the framework for a management audience in 'A Leader's Framework for Decision Making', published in Harvard Business Review in 2007. The domain then called simple was later renamed obvious and then clear. Current material is published by The Cynefin Company, which holds the trademark.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from Dave Snowden.