It's time to stop using complicated solutions

I’m a big fan of plain English. When people start using highfalutin language, either because they're very clever or they wish to appear very clever, I'm comfortable being the one who asks for a more straightforward explanation. But I’m not now talking about how we might simplify things. On the contrary. I'm talking about how seeking complicated solutions is oversimplifying many problems faced today. Because we’re living with fast-paced change with complexity at its heart.

I’ve been having lots of discussions recently about complicated and complex matters, and in particular the difference between both these descriptions. So, if it's not too much of an irony, I hope to attempt to offer you a straightforward explanation. What I can’t do is offer you the straightforward way of addressing complex problems. Because there isn't one.

One of the distinct differences is that, unlike complicated problems, those that are complex cannot be solved. Instead, they must be managed. And one of the biggest challenges I'm hearing is of leaders needing to be comfortable with this when they are used to being able to plan what needs to be done, create the vision, and then measure the success when it’s achieved. So, how can leaders identify that they are facing a complex not a complicated problem?

Something that is complicated is likely to have many components to it, but we are able to study and understand each one of them. The parts of the complex system are multi-functional and richly inter-related; they change one another in unexpected ways as they interact. For example, fixing a Ferrari is complicated, managing traffic is complex.

Complicated problems will be technical in nature, with linear, step-by-step solutions. We can consider cause & effect and are able to predict outcomes. We cannot know what will happen with a complex problem but rather look for patterns that we can then move to manage. So, finding the best retirement plan can be complicated; the spread of Coronavirus is complex.

Things that are complex are part of a system of connectivity, a system that adapts to a changing environment. Think rainforest; a system in constant flux with changes in weather, flora, fauna patterns and other factors. Other examples of complexity are riots, the internet, launching a rocket into space and, of course, human beings.

The Cynefin Framework explains these different types of systems. As the model describes, faced with complication, we are able to sense, analyse and respond. With complexity, we must probe, sense and respond. So, we can’t expect to use a complicated response to a complex challenge. Not straightforward at all, I know, but I think it helps to know what we’re facing.