I had never heard of this framework for thinking about how to address problems before. Shout-out to my friend Chris Yiu and his new Substack Secret Weapon about improving productivity for teaching me about this. It’s surprisingly insightful about when to think about something as a process problem vs an expertise problem vs experimentation vs direction.
[The Cynefin framework] organises problems into four primary domains:
Clear. Cause and effect are obvious; categorise the situation and apply best practice. Example: baking a cake. Rewards process.
Complicated. Cause and effect are knowable but not immediately apparent; analyse the situation carefully to find a solution. Example: coaching a sports team. Rewards expertise.
Complex. Cause and effect are only apparent with hindsight; focus on spotting and exploiting patterns as they emerge. Example: playing poker. Rewards [experimentation — Chris’s original term was entrepreneurship, I think experimentation is more clear & actionable].
Chaotic. Cause and effect are impossible to parse; act on instinct, in the hope of imposing some order on the immediate situation. Example: novel crisis response. Rewards direction.
Problems come in many forms
Chris Yiu | Secret Weapon