Cynefin - can Vige make sense in different domain?

Update 2021-11-13

Since I published this illustration more than one year ago I have had the pleasure of creating a new version of the illustration. This new version and the old one is available in high resolution for your use. You can find it in the free material.

Original text

I have been fascinated by the work of Dave Snowden and the Cynefin sense making framework for a long time and a few days ago I got the idea that it would be fun to illustrate the Cynefin framework using the Vige surrounding. In the picture I wanted to capture some of the more important behaviors in each domain and also the fact that the “burden” of structure/constraints that you put on while you move between the different domains increases. I got to work, after some trial and errors I remembered that I had seen a 3D version of Cynefin and with some research I found it. This version was very helpful in succeeding with my goal, as Rob England (the creator of the original 3D version) himself writes.

The vertical axis is “negentropy”: energy, order. It takes energy to make a system chaotic, it settles into complex. Dave Snowden himself made this improvement to the picture. He approved of this 3D view of Cynefin.

So, with the help from my colleagues at Squeed I got this my first version of the picture done. Thanks everyone!

By the way, if you have any suggestions on improving the illustration? Some thoughts that I have myself is to change the cliff to something man made (in this case I guess it is goblin/troll made) to better represent that it is built in some way and can be easily broken if not maintained.

Here you can find the blog post from Dave Snowden when he comments on the original 3D version from Rob England Cognitive Edge

Inspiration to improve

This TED talk was really inspiring (and fun) for me. The fact that a simple picture can give so much extra understanding and meaning is something that I very much can relate to. What I have noticed is that a picture needs some explanation, to help the audience find the path in the picture. It is clearly visible in the performance of Christoph Niemann that it is the combination of the two that really makes the magic. I hope you like the TED talk as much as I did, also below is a small video on how I create Vige.

TED Talk - You are fluent in this language (and don’t even know it)

Mistakes are easy to make, let's celebrate that

We often hear that you should be a learning organization but where does this learning take place? Learning is when you do things that you don’t fully master. It is here, on the boarder of your knowledge, right outside your safety zone, where you make mistakes. If you at that time acknowledge and reflect on your mistake it will turn into learning and you can start to form a new understanding. At the same time your safety zone will grow. If you on the other had shy away from the mistake no progress will be made. In an organization that helps each others to learn from the mistakes that is made the whole organization will benefit, this is a learning organization.