A632.8.4.RB – Cynefin Framework Reflection
According to Bowden (2010), Cynefin Framework is a tool that allows management to see things from new perspectives, assimilating concepts that are complex, and resolving real-world threats and opportunities. Management utilizing Cynefin framework helps management team make sense what context they are currently in so as they only not make better judgments and determinations but at the same time, evade the issues that may arise whenever their leadership style is the cause of their own mistakes. Bowden (2010) builds Cynefin framework on three systems, and they are the ordered, the complex, and chaotic systems. Then a new category is created which is called disorder and then dividing the order system into the simple and complicated domain.
The simple domain is an ordered system where exist a cause and effect relationships that are predictable and determinable in advance. In the human resources world, it has been our best practice to impose company policies, guidelines, and processes. Whenever the Office of Human Resources receives a call or in-person complaints that evolve employee relations, our best practice is to refer the employee to our Corporate Employee Relations Department who has been very successful in finding resolutions or common grounds to resolve any employee relation issue. However, there were times that we just cannot automatically tell the person who comes to the office to call Employee Relations most especially if the employee is very emotional. Yes, we have to follow company policies and procedures, but there are times that I have to sit down with the employee, listen to their story without interruption while waiting for the Employee Relation Specialist to respond. There were multiple occasions that an Employee Relation Specialist was necessary. As long as the Employee Relations department was aware of the situation so as they can be prepared to tackle the issue when it arises again, the cases I have encountered were considered close. Open communication, being receptive to new ideas and leaders’ willingness to pursue innovative recommendations are essential in this domain. We cannot assume that all problems can be resolved in the same manner.
Complicated Context is a domain where the decision-making approach is first to assess the situation at hand, analyze the information that is known, then decide on the appropriate response by utilizing best practices. My office was contacted by our Chief Operating Officer regarding a physician who was a no-call no-show for three consecutive days. My expertise is in education and regular business operations. I have been in a management position for about six months in a hospital setting. Appropriate physician coverage was arranged to avoid disruption of the office operations ensuring that patients were attended to. I have reviewed the Corporate Employee Handbook and the physician’s contract. I found that the hospital’s policies and procedures do not apply to our contracted physicians. My first instinct was to try to make contact with the doctor and schedule a sit down to get his side of the story. There was no call received on the following day.
We were informed that the doctor was held behind bars due to alcohol intoxication and caused a car accident. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Due to the severity of the situation, I consulted with our legal department who agreed with my recommendation of suspension until further notification. I drafted the letter of suspension effective immediately so as to avoid the physician to assume the position and treat patients without first contact with the HR department and assess his emotional stability and capacity to see patients. Further meetings with the Executive Team and Legal Counsel resulted in a decision to place the physician on a 120-day of termination without cause. It turned out that the doctor suffered emotional distress due to his divorce and was having a difficult time recovering from it.
In a Complex context, most often, there is no correct answer, and we are confronted with competing or challenging ideas that raise necessitate for innovative and creative approaches. According to Bowden (2010), the best way to approach the complexity of the situation is to probe, sense, and respond by conducting a safe-fail experiment and not fail-safe design. Although I was not directly involved in the decision-making when a riot occurred in one of the residential campuses in one of the local University where I used to work, I have observed how our University President and her Cabinet members made decisions to calm down the parents, campus students, as well as the community. Back in September 2009, a campus riot occurred in the middle of night. One of the residence halls was flooded, and the students were all evacuated to a nearby residence inn. Investigations were conducted that resulted in the termination of a residence life coordinator and suspension of the assistant residence life coordinator. The Residence Life Coordinator punched a student who allegedly threw the first punch but missed. The incident was video recorded and revealed that both employee and student were telling the truth and the student who broke a sprinkler was also recorded. In a complex situation, it is of utmost importance that a leader creates an environment that permits the emergence of patterns, increases the level of communication and interaction, and utilizes a methodology that generates different ideas.
Chaotic context is the domain where a rapid response is required. In this domain, searching for the right answers would be senseless and meaningless. It is impossible to determine the cause, and effect relationship since the existence of manageable patterns do not exist. In the same scenario that I used for a complex context, the riot on campus created a chaotic environment not only inside the university campus but in the community as well. The media was all over the case, broadcasting the event which was watched nationwide causing parents, friends, and families of students who are matriculating at the University were panicking and worried. The University spokesperson was immediately instructed to communicate to the media that there were no significant medical occurrences and school officials were still investigating and figuring out what really occurred. The University Executive Team took immediate action to reestablish order shifting chaos to a complex situation.
Reference:
Snowden, D. (2010). The Cynefin Framework. Retrieved from:
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