# Complex facilitation

A body of work containing technique. I first discovered this from Cynefin Basecamp Nov 2023.

One of the core difference here is to let participants discover. This is done by the facilitator to manage process over people.

This facilitation technique is difficult to practice because people tend to want to problem solve and jump to conclusion. Bias to action could be a disease in complex domain.


# References

Complex facilitation | Cynefin Wiki (opens new window) Complex facilitation | Cynefin Blog (opens new window)

Cynefin Basecamp Nov 2023

Principles of Complex Facilitation and Learning

  • The facilitator has a light footprint: Managing process, not people/content
  • Breaking patterns of expectation: allowing for something new
  • Intentional ambiguity: avoiding premature convergence
  • Social learning: socialise info, details remain within smaller groups
  • Themes emerge from the content: open-ended exploration

Snowden, Cynefin - Weaving Sense-Making Into the Fabric of Our World (p. 300)

Complex facilitation is "the facilitation of complex methods to make sense of complex issues in order to take action..."