Constructor typology

Constructors: Cynefin wiki

CONSTRUCTOR: PASSAGE

• This type of constructor changes something as it passes through the constructor – like rituals and processes.
• For example, the ritual of a graduation ceremony transforms a student into a professional by taking them through a series of practices

CONSTRUCTOR: CONTAGION

• This type of constructor changes things by influencing or affecting them, like a virus
• An example is a spreading fashion that provokes transformation through copying and imitation

CONSTRUCTOR: PRESENCE

• This type of constructor transforms other elements by its presence alone
  • For example, the appearance of senior executive in a meeting of subordinate staff can change the whole atmosphere, or the presence of a woman in a typically male environment

• Think of a Constructor which you either encounter or enter and as a result of which some transformation takes place
• There is also a working dyad, namely the difference between a constructor which has been constructed and one which has emerged

Any structure is an emergent property so for the moment we will work with a list that currently stands as set out below

• Catalyst
  • Something which triggers and accelerates a change without itself undergoing significant change
• Process
  • A defined pathway which can be measured and for which compliance can be enforced
• Ritual
  • “The process whereby some behaviour became progressively modified and specialized for its communicative function”
  • Example is a surgical operating theatre where the act of scrubbing up doesn’t just have a hygiene function it also triggers an identity shift from person to the role
  • More details can be found here
• Habit
  • In this context more “Liberating force” than a “rut we get stuck in”
  • Explored in three posts starting here
• Custom & practice
  • The way we’ve always done things, more fully elaborated here
• Machine
  • Probably the most obvious example and I am using it here in the sense of something which has been designed for a purpose
• Artefact
  • All machines are artefacts
  • Using it here in the sense of Material Engagement theory with the idea that there is some agency involved
• Rules
  • Although they might be seen as a restraint, rules are a form of formalized habit, defined as a liberating force per the above
• Collage
  • The elements of a collage have meaning in their own right but when they are put together there is a whole new level of meaning
• Mosaic
  • Here the components have no particular meaning, but when they are assembled by a skilled artisan they create a work of art
• Roles
  • Humans are very good at creating roles, ritualising entry into roles and creating expectations on the role holder
• Deep knowledge
  • Different from roles, in that the expertise is universally acknowledged, it’s more personal based on people’s experience rather than a formal role
• A profession
  • Law, Medicine, Accountancy and the Military among others have multi-generational established processes that generate roles, ethics and practices