St David’s 2025: 5/5 mwg coffi cynefin

It’s time to close this St David’s Day series. The goal was to take what used to be called domain or sub-domain models within Cynefin, update them, and republish them as Cynefin Frames (which seems to be a better name). Having done that over the last four posts, it’s worth noting that the descriptions from the last time round are still in the main apply and are more extensive than this set. One of the reasons for that is that I am testing abbreviated descriptions for the Field Guide to Cynefin, which is finally ready to go into design. So I’d recommend checking out the previous descriptions, which come together in this final post of that 2013 series, which also has links to each domain.

I’ve called this the coffee mug version of Cynefin as it will, in effect, go round a coffee mug, although a Bowling Ball or Globe is another option, with the poles representing aporetic and confused. To be clear, each Frame is designed to be a stand-alone way of understanding how to manage chaos, complexity, etc. They can expand on Cynefin or be an entry into it. Creating them all together gives us a different perspective on the dynamic shifts within Cynefin when treated as a whole.

The final bringing together seems to work with the hexi form, but I’m not sure I have yet got everything right, either in the separate frames or the combination thereof. So I am actively looking for comments or questions before we press the button on the final versions for the Field Guide. I’m also interested in ideas for the representations, especially from designers.

To make it easy to navigate, the supporting four posts are:

1. Clear Frame
2. Complicated Frame
3. Complex Frame
4. Chaotic Frame

So here is the current bringing together picture:

The banner picture

The weather was more ambiguous on the high fells today, so I headed for route 23, which is a round of Green Crag, Harter Fell and HardKnott intending to take a long exit from Hardknott, with the option of a rapid descent via the Roman fort if the weather deteriorated.   Green Crag is much neglected, and its Wainwright status is probably the only reason for visitors. However, it is one of my favourite fells for its isolation, views, and the walk itself.   It used to involve difficult navigation and a treacherous bog, but the passage of many a Wainwright bagger has changed this.  Needless to say, I did not approach by way of Hardknott Pass.  Last time I did this walk, a tourist had tried to get a camper van up there and was stuck on a bend – it took two hours for people to get him turned round, and there are some scary drops on what is a narrow road.  Sat Navs will take you there, but in the dark with rain, it’s hazardous – as is the linked Wrynose Pass. It’s never easy, even in good weather, you often can’t see the road before you as you crest a summit.  And you have to be prepared to, and skilled at, reversing up very steep gradients to let cars pass you.  It’s safer to reverse up than to reverse down, by the way, advice for people who did not grow up learning to drive on mountain roads.

The weather worked out and I had a delightful evening walk, heading north with views of Bow Fell, then cutting down and following the dramatic wilderness of Eskdale to the car—a long walk, gentle on the knees and a delight for the eyes.  The banner picture is a retrospective where the left-hand fork takes you to Mickledore and the route to both Scafell and Scafell Pike.  That traverse, preceded by Lingmell and continued onto Sllightside, is one of my three remaining Wasdale routes, and I plan to complete them soon, staying at the Wasdale Head Inn, one of my favourite places in the world.

By way of full disclosure, this series was written and posted in late April, not early March.