Wicked Problem

A Wicked Problem is a complex issue that is difficult to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognize.

• Context:
  • It can involve multiple stakeholders with different Values and Objectives.
  • It can have complex Interdependencies that make solutions not straightforward.
  • It can (often) has no clear Stopping Point or final solution.
  • It can result in Unintended Consequences when attempting to solve.
  • Efforts to address one aspect of a wicked problem may lead to new problems or exacerbate other aspects.
  • It can be characterized by Organized Irresponsibility due to its complexity.
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • Poverty, which involves complex economic, social, and cultural factors.
  • Climate Change, which impacts multiple systems and has various causes.
  • Education, which is influenced by economic, social, and political factors.
  • Homelessness, which is an issue of social systems, economic factors, and health care.
  • Sustainability, which includes environmental, economic, and social dimensions.
  • Terrorism, which stems from ideological, geopolitical, and socioeconomic conditions.
  • Nuclear Proliferation, which involves geopolitical, technological, and ethical issues.
  • Income Inequality, which is a result of multiple economic, social, and political drivers.
  • Healthcare, which requires balancing economic, medical, and ethical factors.
  • Hunger, which is affected by agricultural, economic, and geopolitical factors.
  • Pandemics, which involve medical, social, and global systems.
  • Political Corruption, which involves ethical, systemic, and sociopolitical issues.
  • Social Injustice, which is often rooted in systemic biases and inequalities.
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Tame Problems, such as mathematical equations, which have definitive solutions.
  • Closed World Problems, where all parameters are known and solutions are clear.
  • Technical Problems, which can be solved through engineering expertise.
  • ...
• See: Puzzle, Planning, Policy, Social Complexity, Interdependencies, Social Planning, Open World Problem, Organized Irresponsibility.

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References

2023

• (Wikipedia, 2023) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/wicked_problem Retrieved:2023-9-5.
  • In planning and policy, a wicked problem is a problem that is difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognize. It refers to an idea or problem that cannot be fixed, where there is no single solution to the problem; and "wicked" denotes resistance to resolution, rather than evil. Another definition is "a problem whose social complexity means that it has no determinable stopping point". Moreover, because of complex interdependencies, the effort to solve one aspect of a wicked problem may reveal or create other problems. Due to their complexity, wicked problems are often characterized by organized irresponsibility. The phrase was originally used in social planning. Its modern sense was introduced in 1967 by C. West Churchman in a guest editorial Churchman wrote in the journal Management Science, either repeating his own coinage or responding to a previous use of the term by Horst Rittel—the origin is uncertain. Churchman discussed the moral responsibility of operations research "to inform the manager in what respect our 'solutions' have failed to tame his wicked problems." Rittel and Melvin M. Webber formally described the concept of wicked problems in a 1973 treatise, contrasting "wicked" problems with relatively "tame", solvable problems in mathematics, chess, or puzzle solving.

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