Engine For Change

I spent last week pondering the Cynefin Framework, Sunday discussing it and tonight watching videos about it.  Why should you care?  Because driving change is about seeing a problem or opportunity and proposing a solution or a direction toward a solution for that problem/opportunity.  The Cynefin Framework, as a sense-making model, provides you a way to test your perception of the problem/opportunity and solutions.

Your success driving change depends on how you see that problem and that solution relative to what the problem and solution really are.

The videos at the Cognitive Edge You Tube channel are excellent introductions to the framework.  Thank you to Dave Snowden for posting the videos.

Now I’m going to give you an assignment.  It’s up to you to choose to accept it or reject it.

Part 1: Watch the videos.

Part 2: Share your thoughts on how you think the framework applies to the change you’re driving.

Cynefin Framework (8:38): I especially like the point at 6:39 where the Simple/Chaotic boundary cliff is explained. In many organizations that cliff is closer and larger than the people think.

How to Organise and Child’s Party (2:59): Hilarious and true. I’ve used the amplify beneficial behaviors and dampen negative behaviors recommendations a lot while driving change.

Longitude (6:09): Important for all experts to watch, especially those pesky engineers who want everything to be solved with more analysis.

For more videos, including one about Apollo 13 and innovation, check out the Cognitive Edge You Tube channel then visit cognitive-edge.com.

The first duty of a wise advocate is to convince his opponents that he understands their arguments and sympathizes with their feelings.” Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Today I disregarded my opponents and spent the day with my allies. For 11 hours we discussed change management, Dave Snowden’s Cynefin Framework and my motivation perspective coordinate system. Plus, we told a lot of great stories about this time and that where we enjoyed ourselves, failed miserably, succeeded triumphantly and learned a lot about driving change in complex organizations.

We rattled off book after book that each of us had read and was encouraging the others to read.  I haven’t totaled up all the titles, but I think my reading list is now full for the next several months, if not several years.

Cherish your allies and study your opponents.  Both will make you a more wise advocate tomorrow than you are today; and everyone could use more wisdom these days.

Have a fabulous week driving change!

I tried to write a typical review (what I loved, what I wondered about, so what) of Seth Godin’s Linchpin and I couldn’t.  I just couldn’t.

Instead, to show you how I saw Linchpin, I must draw you a map.

If you know me personally, and frequent the space near me, you’ve likely watched me scrawl some version of this onto one white board or another.  You’ll have to tell me if I’ve left out any of the good parts.

To the rest of you, I hope that over the imperfect medium of the internet, this somehow makes sense. I’m no Tolkien (really going out on a limb on this one), but I’m trying to draw for you my own Middle Earth, the map in my mind.

Here we go:

Before I read Linchpin, I was already thinking about maps, new maps. [Actually, new coordinate systems (but I'll just leave you with the link for now).]

Then, I found these lines in Linchpin:

Every day I meet people who have so much to give but have been bullied enough or frightened enough to hold it back.  They have become victims, pawns in a senseless system that uses them up and undervalues them.

It’s time to stop complying with the system and draw your own map.

Who am I to question Seth Godin?  I drew a map. (more…)

Post Updated (4 January – based on a comment):

On Tuesday, when Steve Holt showed me David Snowden’s Cynefin model, the model intrigued me.   If you’ve read my Motivation Perspective file, you’ll know I love a good model.

Since Tuesday, between parties, other posts and a sledding trip, I’ve been unable to get Cynefin out of my mind.  Unable to do any actual reading on the topic, I used my short burst of time to chase down a few links in the hope that I’ll be able to paw through the info this week.

I’ve found David Snowden, multi-ontology sense making (yes, that term is supposed to scare you on first look), cynefin (a Welsh word)  cognitive edge methods and a wiki too.

If you’re interesting in learning more about Mr. Snowden and his work, you can click through the links above, or find them all neatly stacked at my new Delicious hosted links page.

[Note: For all of you with an Input strength, you'll love the linking and sharing features at Delicious.]