Obviously, it’s not always Clear (or Clearly, it’s not always Obvious)
A consulting firm shares their experience applying the Cynefin framework's Clear domain, balancing the need for scalable support structures like an internal intranet with the desire to avoid over-rigidity and maintain flexibility in complex work.
THE IDEA
Obviously, it’s not always Clear (or Clearly, it’s not always Obvious)
From the outset, the design of the processes has been broadly based around Lean, i.e., minimizing the number of, and the steps in, processes and enabling individual discretion. This can be bewildering for new colleagues, who arrive from a big corporation (or even another small consulting firm) to find no expense form or invoicing template. Instead they get the direction, “Just send KB an email.” We learned from Cynefin that when too much gets pushed into the Clear domain, it can create the illusion of control, as it decreases redundancy and increases fragility. Because we mostly value flexibility over compliance, it has been tricky to create many systems. Instead, we have relied on flexible people who translate the mess of the individual inputs (on something like an invoice or expense sheet) into a regular and predictable output (like a professional invoice to a client).
As we have grown larger, this trend has strained our Managing Director (Jim) and our Catalyst team – the group most likely to bear the brunt of our desire for flexibility. (5) We have a widespread agreement that we don’t want our business model to dip into the Clear domain (to that end we have no automatic sales, we have nothing off-the-shelf, we have no passive income from intellectual property). So we have been working to create support structures in the Clear domain.
One such measure is we have created an internal intranet – we call the “CLoud.” Here our growing firm can securely track and share information about clients, about the work we’re doing, about our appetite and ability for different sorts of work. It helps us to share resources. It gives us an infrastructure to support us so we can scale without depending as much on individuals.
We want to optimize some of the more Clear parts of our work to increase effectiveness without creating unnecessary bureaucracy. We are aware that our own human behavior, life’s unpredictability, and our deep-seated desire for flexibility is located in the Complex domain, and influences how we will do as we attempt to embrace systems and practices more suited to the Clear domain. The implementation of “CLoud” reflected this. The technical bit was easy, but the behavioral change was Complex. Cynefin insights helped the team to focus on the social processes that supported the implementation.
When to use it
Designing an internal knowledge management system that is structured enough to be useful but flexible enough to adapt to changing needs.
Creating a simple, repeatable process for expense reporting that minimizes bureaucratic overhead while ensuring accuracy and accountability.
Deciding which business activities to standardize (Clear domain) and which to leave to individual judgment (Complex domain) to balance scalability with adaptability.
Implementing a new software tool where the technical deployment is straightforward but the adoption and habit change require careful attention to social dynamics.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Flexible Expense Reporting
New colleagues expecting formal expense forms and invoicing templates are instead told to 'Just send KB an email.' This approach reduces bureaucracy and increases flexibility, but it also places strain on the Managing Director and Catalyst team as the firm grows.
CLoud Intranet
To scale without relying solely on individuals, the firm created an internal intranet called 'CLoud' to securely track and share client information, work details, and resources. This Clear domain support structure helps optimize routine processes without creating excessive bureaucracy.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
How might your organization be over-relying on Clear domain processes, potentially increasing fragility rather than efficiency?
What support structures in the Clear domain could you create to enable more flexibility and effectiveness in your complex work?
In what ways does the behavioral change required to implement Clear domain systems mirror the challenges of navigating the Complex domain itself?
Often confused with
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Cynefin - Weaving Sense-Making into the Fabric of Our World ED02 (Dave Snowden Sonja Blignaut Zhen Goh)