Working with complexity is vital to avoid unintended consequences and increased danger.
The Kinnehin framework helps decision-makers address complex issues by avoiding reductionism and oversimplification.
Language and simple frameworks play a crucial role in thinking differently and understanding complex issues.
Deep dives
The Importance and Complexity of Complexity Science
Complexity science is gaining more attention in policy discussions and academic debates. It offers new maps for understanding reality and new ways of acting in the world. However, complexity can be difficult to pin down and understand. Dave Snowden, a leading figure in complexity science, emphasizes the need to work with complexity, despite its challenges. Ignoring complexity can lead to unintended consequences and increased danger.
The Kinnehin Framework and the Pushback against Reductionism
Dave Snowden is known for the development of the Kinnehin framework, which helps decision-makers identify and act under different system conditions. This framework is rooted in systems theory, complexity theory, and continental philosophy. Snowden emphasizes the importance of avoiding reductionism and the temptation to oversimplify complex issues. The move towards reductionism can hinder our ability to address the complexities of our world and find effective solutions.
The Importance of Language and Heuristics
Language plays a crucial role in shaping our thinking. Snowden argues that embracing new words and concepts is essential for thinking differently and understanding complex issues. He introduces new terms and concepts into language to challenge existing thinking and broaden perspectives. He also emphasizes the importance of simple frameworks that make people think differently while enabling further exploration and understanding.
The Role of Empathy and Intimacy in Decision-Making
Snowden highlights the importance of empathy and intimacy in decision-making processes. He suggests that increasing person-to-person empathetic contact, mediated through the internet, can help build a human buffer in our online communication. This buffer can counter the extreme views and echo chambers that often dominate social media. By enhancing human connection and validity in decision-making, we can foster a more inclusive and effective approach to addressing global challenges.
Moving Towards Distributed Decision-Making
Snowden advocates for distributed decision-making rather than centralized decision-making. He argues that the role of leaders should be to coordinate and distribute decision-making, allowing for more local agency and influence. This approach can lead to more innovative and effective solutions to global problems. Snowden also promotes the idea of citizen juries and delegative assemblies as ways to enhance democracy and ensure a wider representation of voices.
Dave Snowden is the founder and chief officer of Cognitive Edge. He is a pioneer in the field of complexity science and sensemaking, and is perhaps best known for developing the Cynefin framework as a sensemaking device for decision-makers.
In this conversation, we talk about Neo-Darwinism, the trouble with specialisation, why democracy is failing, radical sacrifice, and much more.
Dave blogs here: https://thecynefin.co/author/dave-snowden/
You can find more out about Cognitive Edge here: https://www.cognitive-edge.com/
We discussed: ‘A Leader’s Framework for Decision Making’ (with Mary E. Boone), Harvard Business Review, Nov 2007: https://hbr.org/2007/11/a-leaders-framework-for-decision-making
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.
