Wicked problem solutions

Wicked problems are those which have "incomplete, contradictory, or changing requirements" (Edmonson, 2016, p. 53), seeming to appear "when organizations have to face constant change or unprecedented challenges" (Camillus, 2008, p. 100). 

While I have written about wicked problems before (here), I have not talked about how we can work to solve them. 

1. Collaborate. It seems that wicked problems benefit from collaborative approaches, working across organisations, industries so that we are "tapping the capabilities of new and far-flung partners" (Edmonson, 2016, p. 53). The first step should be to "Involve stakeholders, document opinions, and communicate" (Camillus, 2008, p. 102). Bringing together a wildly diverse team brings challenges, as many professions spring from differing philosophical roots "with different values and priorities" (Camillus, 2008, p. 100). When we put it like that, it is easy to see why cross-organisational teams may get side-tracked or bogged down in approaches, which leads us to step 2.
   
   
2. Creating a clear vision and clear outcomes is essential to keeping a diverse group on track. The organisation which 'owns' the wicked problem needs to be clear about its own identity. In setting out to solve the problem, first being clear about who the organisation is can make the desired outcome easier to identify (Camillus, 2008). Clarifying the organisational values can also make it easier for the team to consider HOW they will work together (Edmonson, 2016).
   
   
3. "Focus on action" (Camillus, 2008, p. 104). The organisation needs to "experiment with a number of strategies that are feasible even if the [team is] unsure of the implications". Throw a lot of stuff at the wall and hope some sticks, basically. We can use a "Pareto analysis to prioritize a small number of them that will produce the most impact" (p. 102). Developing an attitude of 'trying' in the organisation, instead of perfection, shifts everyone's thinking to being more open to calculated risk; people can be more curious, and less worried about mistakes; normalising mistakes as part of the learning process (Edmonson, 2016).  
   
   
4. "Adopt a 'feed-forward'" mechanism within the organisation so information is pulled from a broad range of sources (Camillus, 2008, p. 105). As Phil Dourado points out, those who have "best information now in your own organization won't always be the person at the top. That will quite often be the person out on the edge of the organization in customer facing roles that traditionally have very little authority; because of that unspoken tradition that the further away from the center you are, the less authority you have. The closer to the customers you are the less important you are" (Dourado, 2007, 3:26). Yet customer service staff "are perfectly primed to spot patterns in the market based on their interaction with customers and those people are the least likely to have the kind of backwash mechanism that would allow them to lead upwards and into the organization to let [management] know what's actually happening" (3:46). It should also be noted that the feed-forward mechanism needs to ensure everyone's psychological safety (Edmonson, 2016). If people put their head above the parapet and it is metaphorically shot off, they aren't going to risk contributing again.

None of this is easy. But having a steps to identify strategic solutions certainly helps.

Sam

References:

Camillus, J. C. (2008). Strategy as a Wicked Problem. Harvard Business Review. 86(5), 98-106. Reprint R0805G.

Dourado, P. (2007, October 23). True Leader Tales – Acts of Leadership [video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/DnUO_BW99_I

Edmonson, A. C. (2016). Wicked Problem Solvers. Harvard Business Review. 94(6), 52-59. Reprint R1606C.