Wu Wei (Actionless Action)

Actionless action: Wu Wei (Chinese: 無爲; pinyin: wú wéi)

In Cynefin, the Aporetic is a state of deliberate uncertainty that can open up different ways of understanding a problem. How does it apply to decisions in the Ordered domains of Clear and Complicated? In the Clear domain, we state that we can simply know a problem, categorize it, and respond. There is clear programming. In the Complicated domain, while lay people might not have the answers, the right expert would be able to sense and analyze the problem and develop the correct response. Does the Aporetic then have little implication for someone who works generally in the Ordered domains?

Systems are often nested like Russian dolls: a familiar process may sit within a larger, more complex system. In the authors’ account of Cynefin, the Aporetic borders the Complicated, Complex and Chaos domains, while the Confused borders Clear. Disruption or novelty can reveal that a situation is less predictable than it appeared. Deliberately questioning its classification can then help us decide how to respond.

A Daoist concept that I have found useful in thinking about the Aporetic is Wu Wei. Loosely translated, it means “actionless action,” “action in inaction,” or “effortless action.” These might sound like oxymorons, but the ambiguity encourages a state of seeking the most energy flow-coherent approach. It goes back again to the naturalistic approach of “following the way of the water,” rather than attempting to control its flow. Wu wei implies conscious inaction so we can allow the most natural, effortless action to emerge. In complex situations, any diagnosis or action is an intervention and small changes can produce significant effects, intended or unintended. The concept of small, safe-to-fail experiments is coherent with wu wei. We direct energy where the system is receptive. We seek parallel approaches rather than direct responses.

To quote the Dao De Jing again, “the Way never acts, yet, nothing is left undone,” and “the Way acts, it does not contend.” This is the paradox of Wu Wei. We might be engaged in the most frantic tasks, but we must seek to do so at peace. We seek mastery through small, incremental actions. In the traditional story, Yu the Great calmed the floods by becoming familiar with the common folk, living and working among them. The work was hectic and required exertion, but the solution was one that emphasized effortless action by following the nature of the water. With Wu Wei, we allow the Way (the Dao) to emerge; a quiescence between yin and yang.