Dave Snowden
David J. Snowden | |
|---|---|
| File:Dave Snowden speaking to UX Brighton cropped.jpg Dave Snowden, 2016 | |
| Born | David John Snowden Template:Birth year and age |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Education | BA (philosophy), University of Lancaster, 1975 MBA, Middlesex Polytechnic, 1985 |
| Occupation | Management consultant |
| Employer(s) | The Cynefin Company, Singapore |
| Known for | Cynefin framework |
| Website | https://thecynefin.co/ |
David John Snowden (born 1954) is a Welsh expert in management consulting and research, focusing on knowledge management and the science of complexity. He is primarily recognized for creating the Cynefin framework. Snowden serves as the founder and chief scientific officer of The Cynefin Company, a consultancy based in Singapore that specializes in complexity theory and sensemaking processes.
Education
In 1975, Snowden obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree with honours in philosophy from the University of Lancaster, where he was affiliated with County College. He later earned a MBA from Middlesex Polytechnic in 1985.
Career
Between 1984 and January 1997, Snowden was employed at Data Sciences Ltd, which became part of IBM following its acquisition in 1996. The following year, he initiated IBM Global Services' Knowledge and Differentiation Programme.
During his tenure at IBM, Snowden explored organisational storytelling as a method to articulate tacit knowledge. In 2000, he assumed the role of European director at IBM’s Institute for Knowledge Management and established the IBM Cynefin Centre for Organisational Complexity in 2002. His leadership was instrumental in developing the widely utilized decision-making tool known as the Cynefin framework, influential in shaping business strategies.
Snowden departed from IBM in 2004 and founded Cognitive Edge Pte Ltd in Singapore in 2005, which now operates under the name The Cynefin Company. This firm continues to offer consultancy services grounded in complexity science principles.
Works
Snowden has contributed numerous articles and book chapters addressing topics such as the Cynefin framework, narrative methodologies in research, and complexity within sensemaking. Alongside co-author Mary E. Boone, he received the "Outstanding Practitioner-Oriented Publication in OB" award from the Academy of Management’s Organizational Behavior division in 2008 for their Harvard Business Review article on Cynefin. Between 2008 and 2009, he authored a technology trends column titled "Everything is fragmented" for KMWorld. Additionally, he held the position of editor-in-chief for the journal Emergence: Complexity and Organization.