- Are you having trouble clearly defining it?
- Does it involve changing what people think or do, or how they think of themselves?
- Do you have a sneaking suspicion that when you’ve solved it, some version of the problem will live on?
- Do you know that no matter what you do, someone will be unhappy?
- Have you thought you’ve cracked it before, and found you haven’t?
- Does what the problem looks like keep shifting? Is the problem ‘unreasonable’?
- Are you failing to make significant headway by being rational and disciplined?
- Is it doing your head in?
Think of a problem.
Any problem.
Now ask yourself these questions:
If you answered ‘no’ to nearly all of these, then you may be in luck. Your problem is likely to be either simple or complex and you can happily get on with solving it using the strategic tools you already carry in your kitbag.
If however you answered ‘yes’ to more than a few of them, those tools won’t work. In fact, they’ll make your problem worse. Why? Because it isn’t simple or complex, it’s wicked. And wicked problems do not play by any known rules.
If however you answered ‘yes’ to more than a few of them, those tools won’t work. In fact, they’ll make your problem worse. Why? Because it isn’t simple or complex, it’s wicked. And wicked problems do not play by any known rules.
Welcome to Wicked.
Where do wicked problems hang out? In any of the big fuzzy areas in business that promise the largest pots of gold and seem to be made entirely of quicksand. Where ambiguity rules and there’s no such thing as one ‘right’ answer. In the mess that makes up most of business reality. In areas like innovation, change, engagement, leadership, culture. And of course, inside your head. When was the last time any major project in any of these areas went ‘according to plan’? On time, on budget, hitting planned milestones and delivering expected outcomes without major revisions? (Tried an IT implementation lately? Or being in a relationship?)
The answer is probably ‘never’. Because you can’t execute your way through one of these projects. You have to find your way through, making it up as you go along. You have to create a path by paying attention to how things shift as you take each step and adapting your next step accordingly. Because you can’t ‘execute’ on something that’s never existed before, and no matter how many of these projects have been attempted in the past – how many innovations have been launched, how many leaders have been elected – they’ve never been attempted in this particular situation with these particular people at this particular time. So this situation, your situation, is unique. And a standard process simply won’t work.
The answer is probably ‘never’. Because you can’t execute your way through one of these projects. You have to find your way through, making it up as you go along. You have to create a path by paying attention to how things shift as you take each step and adapting your next step accordingly. Because you can’t ‘execute’ on something that’s never existed before, and no matter how many of these projects have been attempted in the past – how many innovations have been launched, how many leaders have been elected – they’ve never been attempted in this particular situation with these particular people at this particular time. So this situation, your situation, is unique. And a standard process simply won’t work.
What will?
A creative approach.
Wicked problems can’t be solved. But highly successful outcomes can be created.
If you’d like to find out how they can be created in your situation, please give me a call.
A creative approach.
Wicked problems can’t be solved. But highly successful outcomes can be created.
If you’d like to find out how they can be created in your situation, please give me a call.
New Book Out Now!!
Filled with 30 years of creative mindset gems that are the backbone of what it takes to be effective when working with design thinking or swimming in a wicked problem space. Insights and fish abound.
The art is in the engagement! (not the artifact)
‘You’re letting them choose? No no no no. Are you crazy? Seriously Mo – stop making it hard for yourself.’ I was showing some of my creative buddies the individually collaged inside flaps of my Working From Home books, and explaining my grand scheme of laying them all out for the revised revised book release…
A Heard of Elephants: Managing Gnarly Stakeholder Issues
do a lot of stakeholder management, either building teams, helping to change how organisations work, or getting conflicting groups to collaborate. And it’s staggering how often the agenda and subsequent outcome of the initiative is driven, not by the leaders, but by the elephants in the room. The inconvenient, invisible and usually surly metaphorical pachyderms that people know are there, but aren’t willing to deal with.
But you have to. In fact, if you want to do this well, start with the elephants.
The Opposite of Work Is Not Play, It Is Dysfunction
Play is a biological necessity. We need it as much as we need food, water, sleep, shelter and sex. All animals play. Man is the only animal that sees it as either a luxury or frivolity.
The Secret to Taming Your Messiest Problems (Part III in a series on Wicked Problems)
This is the final article in a three part series on Wicked Problems. If you missed Part I (the difference between Simple, Complex and Wicked problems), click here and for Part II click here. So you’ve diagnosed your problem and have most likely come to the conclusion that at least a significant chunk of it is…
Your Biggest Problem is Impossible to Solve — And That’s a Good Thing (PART II IN A SERIES ON WICKED PROBLEMS)
This is Part II of a three part series on Wicked Problems. If you missed Part I (the difference between Simple, Complex and Wicked problems), click here. For Part III, click here. So how do you tell what kind of a problem yours is? Any of these sound familiar? The company restructure looks great on…
Your Biggest Problem is Impossible to Solve — And That’s a Good Thing (PART I IN A SERIES ON WICKED PROBLEMS)
Think of a problem. In fact, think of two. A professional one and a personal one. Problems that are of the gnarly-never-seem-to-go-quietly variety, regardless of how often you take a run at it. Maybe you can’t get a micro-managing boss to give you enough space to do what you can do, or you need to…
The #1 Reason Your Design Thinking Program Isn’t Working and What You Can Do About It
Design thinking is touted to help solve the business problems that existing or BAU processes can’t deal with. Problems like; becoming more innovative, becoming more customer centric, running a successful transformation program, breaking down organisational silos, building “One Team” by engaging your workforce, or perhaps trying to convince a bunch of usually pissed-off stakeholders to…
Handling the Overwhelm: sorting your chaos to get unstuck
Well I asked a bunch of you what you wanted to know more about and, apart from the usual existential selection (finding career fulfilment, love, and obedient offspring), the most popular questions are looking for guidelines on running difficult sessions, handling obdurately complex thinkers in a patently wicked space, and recommendations re which are the…
Design ≠ Design Thinking
I used to sort of dislike the term Human Centred Design for it’s un-human clunkiness. Now I think I may be becoming a firm advocate. I recently had three really interesting design thinking related experiences. The first was with a highly creative corporate type discussing the dangers inherent in formalising a company’s approach to design…
Partners in Procurement? You’ve got to be kidding
Are you a consultant? An executive? A human? In which case I defy you to read the following email I just received and not have “Get stuffed” or something more profane running through your mind… (names redacted to protect the guilty – and I’ve worked with lots of BigCo’s in my time, most of whom I’ve…
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