Liminality
Liminality describes the ambiguous 'in-between' state of transitions and threshold crossing, which can be disorienting yet offers emerging opportunities for novelty and transformation within dynamic systems like Cynefin.
THE IDEA
On liminality
“In the universe, there are things that are known, and things that are unknown, and between them, there are doors.” – William Blake
Cynefin uses liminality to describe transitions between domains. Liminality, from the Latin word līmen, meaning ‘a threshold,’ is about transitions, about being in the ‘in-between’ and crossing thresholds. Being in an ambiguous liminal state can be disorienting and anxiety-provoking, yet it is also a place of emerging opportunity and many options. Cynefin describes movement between states as well as the states themselves. The liminal zones between domains are transformational. Here we are able to suspend judgment, keep our options open, and enable the emergence of novelty. Remaining attentive can help us notice when an opportunity to act emerges.
When to use it
Strategic planning during organizational change: using the liminal phase to foster experimentation and emergent strategy.
Personal development during career transitions: viewing periods of uncertainty as opportunities for growth and exploration.
Design thinking and the 'fuzzy front end': deliberately staying in a liminal space to generate novel ideas before converging on solutions.
Conflict resolution: helping parties tolerate the ambiguity of a liminal phase to discover creative, mutually acceptable outcomes.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Career Change
A person switching industries is in a liminal state: they have left their old role but not yet fully entered the new one, experiencing uncertainty, self-doubt, and a sense of possibility as they explore new identities and networks.
Organizational Restructuring
A company undergoing a merger is in a liminal zone where old hierarchies dissolve and new structures are not yet formed; this phase can be chaotic but also allows for creative reconfiguration of teams and processes.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
What liminal states are you currently experiencing in your life or work? How might you embrace the ambiguity to discover new opportunities?
How does the concept of liminality help you understand transitions in complex systems, and what practices can help you stay open during those transitions?
In what ways can remaining in a liminal state, rather than rushing to resolution, lead to better outcomes in decision-making or innovation?
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Cynefin - Weaving Sense-Making into the Fabric of Our World ED02 (Dave Snowden Sonja Blignaut Zhen Goh)