Constraint mapping
Cynefin has long used the constraint-based definition of complexity, with the domains having rigid, governing, enabling, no effective and unknown constraints as distinguishing factors. The base definition of Cynefin uses Alicia’s distinction
Constraint mapping and the associated typology of constraints, as a key approach to understanding, navigating, and managing complexity.
There are two reasons for doing this:
- Mapping and changing constraints avoid a direct connection between situational assessment and action. Humans always make a decision as to action based on a first-fit pattern match and post hoc use situational assessment to justify the position. S/he who describes the problem generally controls the solution. So by starting with constraints and then speculating at to the likely emergence that results and containment to ensure it is safe-to-fail creates a more objective decision process.
- Constraints are things that we can manage in a complex system, and they are also things that we can know.
This is not the same thing as the use in Goldratt This post is one view on the differences written by Steve
A provisional decision is to stop talking about modulators (although keeping the idea of modulation as an alternative to causality when describing a complex system). In a recent exercise, we found people thought that mapping modulators and constraints got confusing, so I’ve created a different category of constraint, namely one which applies a force to go with the primary distinction of constraints that connect (generally complex) and those which contain (generally order). The whole point of modulators and the magnet metaphor is that there are things we can manage in a complex system, especially if we can exert micro-control in near real-time.
A typology of constraints
| Containers | Connections | Exert a force |
| Resilient (survive by change, continuity of identity over time) ( | robust survive unchanged until they break and if they break then it is generally catastrophic | Change can trigger a phase shift /br (anti-fragile would be a part of this) |
| Natural conditions | Clear decisions | Decisions that allow for emergence |
Dark constraints exert a force that we can detect but we cannot trace it back
These may become a set of three triads which will also allow mapping in SenseMaker®
Once you map constraints delegation is also easier, as the focus is on constraint change and then see what happens, but critically make sure you plan for containment and unexpected consequences. I’ll expand on this in future posts, but tomorrow I want to return to the ASHEN framework and use that to try and resolve the personal v the system debates in organisational change.
Other resources
- Returning to constraints
- Useful summary of earlier version] by Liz
- Video of Dave and Alicia talking about constraints
- Previous post with links to early ones
- Follow up to the above
- https://www.cognitive-edge.com/dark-constraints/ Post on Dark Constraints]
