Dave Snowden is the author of several articles and book chapters on the Cynefin framework, the development of narrative as a research method, and the role of complexity in sensemaking.

In 2008, he and co-author Mary E. Boone won an "Outstanding Practitioner-Oriented Publication in OB" award from the Academy of Management's Organizational Behavior division for a Harvard Business Review article on Cynefin in November 2007.

Dave's community coauthored a book on Cynefin in 2020, more than twenty years after its inception.

Dave Snowden co-authored an EU field guide in 2021, "Managing complexity (and chaos) in times of crisis." This guide crystallized Cynefin into its latest evolution.

A field guide for decision-makers inspired by the Cynefin framework

This field guide helps to navigate in times of crisis using the Cynefin framework as a compass.
It proposes a four-stage approach through which we can assess the type of crisis and initiate a response; adapt to the new pace and start building sensing networks to inform decisions; repurpose existing structures and working methods to generate radical innovation; transcend the crisis; formalize lessons learned and increase resilience.

The guide stresses the importance of setting and managing boundaries, building informal structures, keeping options open, distributing engagement, and maintaining an ongoing assessment of the evolving landscape. Action items, real-life examples, and demonstrations complement the references to the developing theoretical framework.

Under Dave's guidance and innovation, the Cynefin Co. created many other approaches, such as Ritual Dissent, Future Backwards, ASHEN, SenseMaker, etc.

The latest promising developments from the Cyenfin Co are Estuarine Mapping and the Hexi Kits.

Key mantras often heard from Dave include:
"go with the flow."
"do the next right thing."
"evolve from the present."
"use a sense of direction."
"try more stories like this and fewer stories like that."
"it's not a river, it's an estuary"