Readable atlas · Release 0.35
Complex Acts of Knowing
Snowden's 2002 article on paradox, descriptive self-awareness, knowledge management and the early Cynefin framework.
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Summary
Complex Acts of Knowing is an early primary text linking knowledge management, descriptive self-awareness and the development of Cynefin.
Implications for practice
It provides a dated scholarly anchor for claims that otherwise drift into retrospective brand history.
Key distinctions
- early framework wording vs later Cynefin
- primary article vs retrospective summary
Historical development
- knowledge management
- early Cynefin
Ideas it depends on
- knowledge
- paradox
- sense-making
Further developments
- Cynefin development
- descriptive self-awareness
Connections to practice
- knowledge management
- organisational decision support
Common confusions
- later domain language appears unchanged in the early article
Further checks
- add article-level summary with locators
- compare with later versions
Recorded connections
Check the wording, direction, scope, sources, and status of a connection before relying on it.
Complex Acts of Knowing develops Cynefin framework
Status: accepted · Relation: develops
The statement is limited to the named sources and their evidential role. First-party definition, authorship, historical development, application and independent evaluation remain distinct claims.
Locator: Release 0.14 public primary, official, institutional and publisher sources
Complex Acts of Knowing was authored by Dave Snowden
Status: accepted · Relation: authored by
The statement is limited to the named sources and their evidential role. First-party definition, authorship, historical development, application and independent evaluation remain distinct claims.
Locator: Release 0.14 public primary, official, institutional and publisher sources
Sources and passage locators
Cite this entry
Taylor, B. P. (2026). Complex Acts of Knowing. The Necessary Tangle, release 0.35. https://transduction.systems/entries/publication_complex_acts_of_knowing/
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