SENSEMAKER live
THE DILEMMA MIRROR
We’re gathering the most telling contradictions of modern working life. Share your experience – anonymously – via our SenseMaker® Collector. Once we have enough input, we’ll take a look at what patterns emerge and explore how to work with them.
How it works:
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Share a real experience from your working day – anonymous, ~5 minutes
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You provide the context – we analyse your interpretation
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We identify patterns and invite you to explore them with us
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Spot shared tensions
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Discover potential levers for action
Share your favourite Workplace Dilemma here
Working with Contradictions?
Question everything – but don't change this too much.
Do more – with limited resources.
Trust your team – but carry the responsibility alone.
Wash me - don't make me wet.
Sounds familiar?
Then the Dilemma Mirror might be of interest.
Want to see the results?
Once we’ve gathered enough contributions, we’ll share what’s taking shape and invite you to brief online sessions to reflect on the findings.
Leave your email here if you’d like to be notified:
Your responses remain anonymous and are not linked to your address.
Data security information here
What is the SenseMaker®?
SenseMaker® is a narrative-based data collection and analysis tool developed by the Cynefin Company. It helps uncover what’s really going on in organisations – beneath strategies, surveys or surface-level impressions – and provides grounded insights for practical work.
What makes SenseMaker® different?
SenseMaker® combines the depth of individual stories with the structure of quantitative data. Unlike traditional surveys or interviews, it’s not designed to confirm existing assumptions. Instead, it invites people to share real experiences and interpret them themselves.
This shifts the focus from expert analysis to participant sensemaking. No algorithms, no external coding – the interpretation stays with the people who were actually there.
How can the results be used?
Each data point is tied to a lived experience. In aggregate, these stories reveal patterns, outliers and weak signals that often remain invisible in conventional formats. This makes it possible to see what’s happening, under what conditions, and where there’s scope for movement.
Where is SenseMaker® used?
SenseMaker® is used globally – in companies, public institutions, NGOs and multilateral organisations. If you’d like to see examples, just get in touch. We’re happy to share cases from our own work or from the wider Complexity community.
Is my Dilemma Mirror submission anonymous?
Yes. No personal data is stored. The collector runs on a secure EU-based server and complies with GDPR. If you choose to leave your email to be notified of results, it’s stored separately and not linked to your submission.
All our SenseMaker® projects are delivered under an official licence from Cognitive Edge / The Cynefin Company, and are carried out in close collaboration with, and supported by, their core team.