A description of decision models and explanation of Cynefin Framework.

1. Decision Making
Iqtidar ul Hassan

2. Definition
• A systematic process of choosing from
several alternatives to achieve a desired
result.

3. Various Models of Decision Making
• The Rational Model
• The Model of Bounded Rationality
• Incrementalist View
• The Organizational Procedure View
• The Political View
• The Garbage Can Model
• The Individual Differences Perspective

4. • Naturalistic Decision Making
• The Multiple Perspective Approach

5. Definition
• “Multiple Perspectives Approach to
Decision Making” is an attempt to sweep
in all possible perspectives on a problem.
It classifies perspectives as either
technical, organizational or individual in
nature. Apart from them ethical and
aesthetic perspectives are also kept in
mind. The proponents of this theory are
Harold A. Linston and Ian Mitroff.

6. • “Multiple Perspectives Approach to
Decision Making” is based on
Churchman’s concept of System Thinking.

7. system approach
• Analysis versus Synthesis

8. Analysis
• Analysis is to reduce it into manageable
“bites” and address them in isolation.
• the whole is equal to the sum of its parts.

9. Synthesis
• an integrated perspective about the whole
enterprise.
• The parts interact with each other in a way
that whole is larger than the sum of its
parts.

10. • before synthesizing one must first analyze,
to take the system apart in order to
understand each component separately,
and then integrating them into a larger
whole.

11. Scenario
• A Higher Secondary School principal wants to
ensure the attendance of the students which is
less than thirty percent the whole academic year
for five years. The principal has in front of him
the history of such an attempt which ended up in
the forced resignation of the previous principal,
after an agitation by the students and the
involvement of the community.

12. The Cynefin Framework

13. The Cynefin Framwork
• Literal translation is ‘habitat or place’
• Place of multiple belonging; cultural,
religious, geographic, tribal etc.
• Dave J. Snowden

14. • A sense making model, not a
categorization mode
• Categorization: framework precedes the
data
• Sense making: data precede the
framework. Patterns of framework emerge
from data.

16. Simple Contexts
• The domain of best practices
• The realm of Known Knowns
• Clear cause and effect relationship, easily
determined by everyone
• leaders sense, categorize, and respond.
• Domain of best practices

17. Complicated Context
• The domain of experts
• Known Unknowns
• The leader must sense, analyze and
respond
• Domain of good practices

18. Complex Context
• The domain of emergence
• The realm of Unknown Unknowns
• Cause and effect obvious only in the
hindsight
• probe first, then sense, and then
respond.

19. Chaotic Context
• The Domain of Rapid Response
• The realm of Unknowable
• Leader must first act to establish order,
then sense where stability is present and
from where it is absent, and then respond
by working to transform the situation
from chaos to complexity

20. Disorder
• The context is not yet determined