Situational Complexity

The situational complexity framework was proposed by Stacey (1996) using the Agreement & Certainty Matrix.

adapted from Stacey’s work (Zimmerman, 2011), known as (see Figure 1), has two poles based on the level of certainty about cause and effect to solve a problem and the level of agreement among stakeholders about the desirability of the solution.

he term situational complexity refers specifically to the distinction between simple, technically complicated, socially complicated, and complex situations—a distinction attributed to the work of organizational theorists Ralph Stacey (1996) and David Snowden (2002) and applied more recently to program evaluation by Zimmerman (2001) and Patton (2011).

Patton, M. Q. (2011). Developmental evaluation: Applying complexity concepts to enhance innovation and use. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Stacey, R. D. (1996). Complexity and creativity in organizations. San Francisco, CA: Berrett- Koehler Publishers.

Zimmerman, B.,(2001). Ralph Stacey's Agreement & Certainty Matrix, Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto, Canada. Online at: https://www.betterevaluation.org/en/resources/guide/ralph_staceys_agreement_and_certainty_matrix