Understanding Complexity - David Snowden in Brazil

Understanding
Complexity
The Cynefin
Framework
The Organisation
& Knowledge
The Use
of Narrative
Lecture Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4
Make better decisions
Learn to engage with the unanticipated for strategic advantage.
For leaders, consultants, project managers, and knowledge workers.
Michael
Cheveldave
Dave Snowden
Silver Sponsor:
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
October 20-23, 2014
A 4-day programme with the
option of attending Day 1 only.
16 modules with the theory and
practice of managing complexity
for resilience.
Register here
Crucial new knowledge for:
• Project management
• Chnage management
• Innovation and development
• Risk and crisis management
• Cultural development
• Safety management
• Knowledge management
Event Facilitators
© 2014 Cognitive Edge Pte Ltd.
Institutional sponsors:

How to manage uncertainty in
complex environments
The ability to manage and
navigate complexity is a key
strategic advantage. However,
many organizations are
trapped in past practices and
structures. Breaking through
such inertia requires praxis -
theory informed practice.
Cognitive Edge has developed
a modular training program
with four 1-day sessions
that allows participants to
understand the theory of
complexity and how to put it to
practice.
Benefits to participants for
each 1-day session are:
1. Understanding Complexity
- how to make sense of and
take action in complex and
highly uncertain environments.
2. The Cynefin Framework
– learn to distinguish between
obvious, complicated,
complex, and chaotic
challenges and how to
lead appropriate situational
transitions.
3. The Organisation &
Knowledge
– learn to stimulate innovation,
build social networks, and
engage employees in more
effective cross-silo knowledge
exchange.
4. The Use of Narrative
- integrate at scale the most
effective human knowledge
and sense-making method…
narrative discourse and natural
story telling.
The following pages provide a
detailed overview.
“This course is all about developing
insights that challenge the deeply
rooted thinking patterns that
have been ingrained by years
of conventional thinking from
both education and business and
management literature.”
Former participant
Michael Cheveldave
Vice President
Michael has been a lead trainer
and facilitator with Cognitive
Edge for over 7 years. With
extensive experience in
applying the Cynefin framework
and Cognitive Edge techniques,
Michael draws on highly
relevant project references to
assist participants in relating
theory to practice. With speaking and facilitation
experience with large groups Michael has
developed a unique capability to deliver complex
content and ideas in a way that audiences can
relate to and apply.
Michael has an engineering degree and a
graduate certificate in Knowledge Management.
He was amongst the first Cognitive Edge
practitioners that served as the founders of the
Cognitive Edge Network.
Dave Snowden
Founder and Chief Scientific Officer
Dave Snowden was formerly a
Director in the IBM Institute for
Knowledge Management where
he led programmes on comple-
xity and narrative. He is a lea-
ding keynote speaker at major
conferences around the world
and is known for his extensive
use of stories to communicate
what would otherwise be difficult concepts.
Dave Snowden has an MBA from Middlesex
University and a BA in Philosophy from Lanca-
ster University. He teaches on various university
programmes throughout the world. He regularly
consults at the board level with some of the wor-
ld’s largest companies as well as to Government
and NGOs.
Ticket type price USD
Lecture session only 795.00
Full Programme Ticket (4 days) 2,195.00
Pricing Venue
Rio Branco 1 Convention
Center
Av. Rio Branco,
01 Pavimento de Convenções
Centro
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Registration
Please register here.
Cancellation
Refunds are subject to a can-
cellation fee. No refunds within
6 weeks of the training date.
Substitutions can be made at
any time.
Further information
If you cannot attend the Rio de
Janeiro session consider one
of our other courses here,
or write:
info@cognitive-edge.com
Event Facilitators
4-day course
with optional lecture on day 1
Understanding
Complexity
The Cynefin
Framework
The Organisation
& Knowledge
The Use
of Narrative
09:00 -
10:30
Introduction to
complexity. How do
we manage?
Cyneﬁn Framework
vs categorisation
models
Human decision
making, its not about
information
Narratives and
decision making
11:00 -
12:30
Cynefin Framework &
the nature of risk and
resilience
Balancing evidence
against consensus
Culture, knowledge
and engagement
Convey complex
ideas using
anecdotes
14:00 -
15:30
Attractors and
boundaries in
complex adaptive
systems
When it’s chaotic,
complicated or just
plain simple
Organising to
increase resilience
and innovation
The use of
archetypes to share
failure and learning
without blame
16:00 -
17:30
Stimulating the
evolutionary potential
of the present
Operational roll-
out and use of
Cyneﬁn in different
environments
Complex facilitation
techniques
Using SenseMaker®
for research,
monitoring and
evaluation

Understanding complexity
Lecture session
The Cynefin framework
Module 1.1
09.00-10.30
Introduction to com-
plexity
The three systems:
ordered, complex and
chaotic - defined and
illustrated.
Characteristics of
complexity, what can
be managed and how.
Module 1.2
11.00-12.30
Understanding the
Cynefin framework
and its application to
leadership.
Understanding the
nature of risk under
conditions of uncer-
tainty.
Overview of micro-nar-
rative research and
its role in anticipatory
awareness.
Module 1.3
14.00-15.30
The life cycle of ma-
nagment ideas, theory
and practice.
Understanding the role
of modulation in com-
plex adaptive systems
Understanding the
management of attrac-
tors and boundaries.
Module 1.4
16.00-17.30
Discovering & ma-
naging the evolutio-
nary potential of the
present.
Principles of managing
uncertainty and the
limitations of measure-
ment.
Complexity, sen-
se-making, & narrative
- strategic implicati-
ons.
Module 2.1
09.00-10.30
The relationship
between complexity
theory and other
approaches to
management.
How to direct a
complex system,
providing purpose &
focus.
Cynefin as a sense-
making framework
in contrast with
categorisation models.
Module 2.2
11.00-12.30
Creating Cynefin
using micro-narrative
approaches to
definition.
Other approaches to
the creation of Cynefin
& fractal management.
Balancing evidence
against consensus,
the complex domain.
Module 2.3
14.00-15.30
The use of chaos for
innovation & ‘wisdom
of crowds’ based
evidence.
Balancing strategic
direction with
engagement - the role
of complication.
Managing simplicity,
and the role of
bureaucracy.
Module 2.4
16.00-17.30
Operational roll-out
and use of Cynefin in
different environments.
Differences between
complexity thinking
and systems thinking.
Understanding Cynefin
in the wider context
of complexity and
systems.
sense
categorize
respond
OBVIOUS
COMPLEX
probe
sense
respond
CHAOTIC
act
sense
respond
COMPLICATED
sense
analyze
respond
“The Class was a good mix of theory and practice. The venue Cognitive Edge selected was a
great environment. There’s not many classes where I come away feeling that I’ve developed my
capabilities further. I did on this class”
Former participant
“The Cynefin model has
subtleties and nuances
which are not easily
accessible to the casual
reader. This course is all
about developing insights
that challenge the deeply
rooted thinking patterns
that have been ingrained
by years of conventional
thinking from both
education and business
and management
literature.”
Former participant
Understanding
Complexity
The Cynefin
Framework
The Organisation
& Knowledge
The Use
of Narrative
Understanding
Complexity
The Cynefin
Framework
The Organisation
& Knowledge
Lecture Day 1 Day 2 Day 3

The organisation &
knowledge The use of narrative
Module 3.1
09.00-10.30
The pattern base
of human decision
making, its not about
information.
Understanding
cognitive bias and
working with it using
sensor networks.
Interact within
organisations? Natural
limits on team size and
capability.
Module 3.2
11.00-12.30
What do we know and
how do we know it?
Mapping knowledge.
The ‘culture’ word,
understanding and
mapping from different
perspectives.
Distributed decision
making & whole
of workforce
engagement.
Module 3.3
14.00-15.30
Creating and
maintaining social
networks within the
organisation.
Methods to incentivise
innovative team and
cross silo behaviour.
New forms of
organisation to
increase resilience in
the face of uncertainty.
Module 3.4
16.00-17.30
Large group facilitation
contrasted with open
space techniques.
The role of human
mediated games and
simulated learning
through failing.
Complex facilitation
techniques, enabling
emergence for
sustainability.
Module 4.1
09.00-10.30
Homo narrans, the
criticality of narrative
to human decision
making.
The use of narrative
in knowledge
management &
learning.
Balancing research,
with knowledge
disclosure &
communication.
Module 4.2
11.00-12.30
The use of story
templates to
create effective
communication.
How to convey
complex ideas using
naturally occurring
anecdotes.
The use and abuse
of narrative in
consultancy practice.
Module 4.3
14.00-15.30
Archetypes as a
means of enabling
self-awareness of
culture.
Situational archetypes
as an approach to
conﬂict resolution.
The use of archetypes
to share failure and
learning without
blame.
Module 4.4
16.00-17.30
Principles underlying
SenseMaker® and its
use in monitoring, risk,
innovation, and culture
change.
Designing and
implementing
micronarrative projects
using SenseMaker®
New approaches to
advocacy & targeting
using micro-narratives.
Understanding
Complexity
The Cynefin
Framework
The Organisation
& Knowledge
The Use
of Narrative
Understanding
Complexity
The Cynefin
Framework
The Organisation
& Knowledge
The Use
of Narrative

www.cognitive-edge.com
The Cynefin framework, and its application in managing
complexity is at the heart of this training program.
The Academy of Management awarded the Harvard Business
Review article, Cynefin & Leadership, the ”Best Practitioner
Paper”. Their citation reads:
“This paper introduces an important new perspective that
has enormous future value, and does so in a clear way that
shows it can be used. The article makes several significant
contributions. First, and most importantly, it introduces
complexity science to guide managers’ thoughts and actions.
Second, it applies this perspective to advance a typology
of contexts to help leaders to sort out the wide variety of
situations in which they must lead decisions. Third, it advises
leaders concerning what actions they should take in response”
©2014CognitiveEdgePteLtd.

Understanding Complexity - David Snowden in Brazil

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