If you're a leader directing talent, be careful what you wish for

Recruiting your brightest and best to solve the more intractable challenges facing your business is the right thing to do. But proceed with forethought. Failing to act upon their recommendations doesn’t develop your team, it opens up Pandora’s box.

Simon Lunt23 September 2016leadership, cynefin, ComplexComment

Great businesses are built by great leaders—not prophets (part 3 of 3): Steve Jobs

On the evening of Friday, 24 May 1985, the Board fired the Company founder. Steve Jobs left the Apple campus weeping and wealthy. He was done. He had been thrown under vehicle he believed would deliver his twin ambitions

Simon Lunt23 September 2016cynefin, leadership, problem solvingComment

Great businesses are built by great leaders—not prophets (part 2 of 3)

In an earlier posting, I reviewed whether mental illness was a pre-requisite for great leadership, and concluded that this was not the case. However, occasionally these far-reaching perspectives do match reality and, assuming the requisite knowledge, intellectual capacity and motivation are also in place, then the triumph of these problem-solvers can be spectacular; Winston Churchill provides but one example. But whilst excelling in a crisis is worthy and admirable, is it the definition of great leadership? I would argue not.

Simon Lunt23 September 2016chaos, cynefin, leadership, problem solving Comment

Great businesses are built by great leaders, not prophets (part 1 of 3)

Great leaders are motivated to solve great problems. They achieve this by accessing the problem-solving capability of others to the mutual benefit of everyone involved. Great leaderships can resolve problems effectively and efficiently from all domains of the Cynefin framework— to the mutual benefit of everyone involved.

Simon Lunt23 September 2016chaos, cynefin, leadership, problem solving Comments

How the Cynefin framework won Wales a Grand Slam

“Gatland arrived in Wales in the opening weeks of 2008, when Wales were in a state of chaos, … and the changing room echoing to the murmurs of mutiny. The new coach imposed order and gave simple instructions and Wales responded with a second grand slam of the 2000s.”

Simon Lunt23 September 2016Complex, chaos, cynefin, leadership, problem solvingComment

What is strategy? A coherent response to a motivating problem.

The plethora of definitions of strategy is, quite simply, overwhelming. The range of strategy books; the breadth of activities conventionally contained within the strategy process; the inappropriate split between strategy generation and strategy implementation; the checklist of vision, values, mission, goals, objectives, initiatives, must-win, metrics; all of which has ensured that “everything is strategy” and thus obfuscates the real thrust behind the need for strategy in the first place.

Simon Lunt23 September 2016cynefin, problem solving, strategyComment

Cynefin - a time management and productivity tool?

The thirst for easy fixes to the challenges of time management appears unslakable. I have no doubt that for some, the act of seeking and tinkering with the latest ‘getting-things-done’ (GTD) tool/philosophy/process is an addiction. It affirms we all seek efficiency without compromising effectiveness. And in a minor example of exaptation, the Cynefin framework has the potential to be a useful tool in this pursuit.

Simon Lunt23 September 2016Complex, chaos, cynefin, leadership, simple, strategyComment

Curing growing pains with Cynefin

How does a successful entrepreneurial organisation deal with operational growth pains without losing its ‘soul?’ I have been working with an Asia-based family owned business that markets health products through retail outlets. The business has grown considerably since starting 15 years ago (revenue of $2bn), and has ambitions to grow further. However, certain aspects of the operation are failing to keep pace with the market opportunities and the ‘rapid and flexible’ decision making processes of senior management. Application of the Cynefin framework in concert with the Kirton Adaptor Innovator (KAI)Theory provides useful insight into the possible contributors of the conundrum, and some possible practical choices about its resolution.

Simon Lunt23 September 2016Adaptor, Innovator, KAI, Kirton, cynefinComment

A turnip seed never grows into a parsnip

For those of us who travel extensively, one of the most valued Christmas gifts is the opportunity to take time over the holidays to read heavy books. These may not be mentally demanding nor intellectually ponderous but their physical dimensions preclude them as traveling companions; when packing I err toward the gazelle rather than the mule.

Simon Lunt23 September 2016cynefin, dots and patterns, safe-to-fail, strategyComment

Can using complicated tools to solve a complex problem make you ill?

My initial contact with Cognitive Edge was stimulated by a question; does anyone out there have experience of applying a complex adaptive system approach to business? The root of the question arose from an earlier one of “how do you build bodily health” and curiosity as to whether the answer to that question had insight for building organisational health. I had developed an understanding of the physiology of the human body through research and self-experimentation, and came to conclusion that our bodies are non-homeostatic open systems, but was surprised that a big chunk of medical science is derived from model of closed-loop steady state. Thus we manage this Complex system with Complicated and Simple tools (to our detriment) , and the analogy to Business seemed worthy of further investigation.

Simon Lunt23 September 2016Complex, cynefin, genotype, healthComment

So what! Tell me who has used it, and how it works

I am frequently asked to demonstrate to my commercially-minded, tight-budgeted, hard-nosed, doubting-Thomased clients that there is profitable proof of pragmatic application of the insight arising from the narrative research and the Cynefin framework.

Simon Lunt23 September 2016Complex, cynefin Comment

Can you handle the truth - part II

In ‘Can you handle the truth - part I’ I referred to the conceptual importance of feedback loops. In part II I relate a practical, personal example of how deployment of a mechanism for feedback built sufficient trust and honesty for an organisation to re-adjust the corporate strategy . Our approach to strategy process has four parts:

Simon Lunt23 September 2016Sensemaker, cynefin, feedback loops, strategy Comment

From Silence to Screams: Feedback loops in the Simple Domain

I have come to think of the Simple domain as the Enabling domain. However, most of our clients enjoy the excitement of the Complex domain, and dismiss the Simple domain as necessary though dull, but this is too shortsighted. If we manage them correctly, activities in the Simple domain enable us to spend more time and resource in the other domains, but if we get it wrong, there are huge negative consequences that can disable the resources allocated to growing and driving the business. Consequently, the greater the negative impact of failure of Simple systems, the greater should be our vigilance in ensuring that sensors are in place to pick up weak signals and hence avoid catastrophe. We don’t often talk about weak signals in the Simple domain, but I believe they exist.

Simon Lunt23 September 2016complexity, complicated, cynefin, feedback loops, simpleComment

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