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Taming Wicked problems by Unraveling Wickedness

Topic: Wicked problems
by Xiang, 2019 Cohort

Wicked problems are a subset type of complex problems that are defined by two key characteristics:

1. It is impossible to identify all the causes of a wicked problem
2. The definition of the problem itself is contested

For instance, drug abuse is a wicked problem since its causes range from developmental experiences to the lack of legal deterrence. Even the definition of drug abuse as a problem is contested, as some believe one should take personal responsibility for such self-harming decisions. In general, problems that involve complex social systems are likely to be ‘wicked’.

Identifying these problems as ‘wicked’ helps us recognise that there is neither a best solution nor a way to completely solve all the underlying problems; It is always a work in progress. When attempting to address the problem, you should also expect resistance from those who contest its definition and for unforeseen consequences to your actions. Therefore, wicked problems cannot be effectively addressed using conventional expert-driven analysis, which assume in the first place that the problem and its causes can be clearly defined by analysing past or similar cases.

How then should you approach wicked problems?

As a starting point, you can adopt a meta-approach: even if you cannot dissect why the problem arises, you can analyse why you are not able to fully define the problem and its causes. In other words, you should identify what is the cause of wickedness. The table below suggests some of the specific causes of wickedness, grouped into various causal categories but there might still be others unique to each wicked problem. This process of causal identification should not be one-off but continually updated in light of new information or feedback from trials.

By understanding the causes of wickedness, you can then adopt the suitable methods to work around it.

For the problem of drug abuse, a key reason why all its causes cannot be identified is because addicts and dealers will adapt their behaviour to new policies. Outlawing drug use, for instance, may cause addicts to avoid seeking help. The new policy thus becomes another cause of the problem. Since adaptive behaviour is a cause of wickedness, creating a system that monitors and adapts to the behaviour of dealers and addicts could thus be a useful taming strategy.

There is also a social dimension to this wicked problem of drug abuse: the interests of stakeholders are fragmented. Politicians may prefer a ‘deterrence’ approach to project an image of ‘strong leadership’. Other interest groups may advocate for voluntary rehabilitation as they believe that one should take responsibility for his/her self-harming decisions. A key part of the taming strategy could therefore be to get these stakeholders to collaborate and to coordinate their efforts to tame the problem from multiple directions simultaneously.

There are many other methods to tame wicked problems. Since there is no best answer, the key to taming wicked problems is to choose and modify one appropriate to the cause of wickedness and to adapt the strategy as the situation changes.

Explore this topic further#

• Wicked Problems{.link-ext target=”_blank”} (Wikipedia)
• Brown, Valerie A., John A. Harris, Jacqueline Y Russell 2010, Tackling wicked problems through the transdisciplinary imagination, Earthscan (Chapters 1 and 2) PDF{.link-new-win target=”_blank”}
• Alford, J., & Head, B. W. (2017). Wicked and less wicked problems: a typology and a contingency framework.{.link-new-win target=”_blank”}

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This content has been contributed by a student as part of a learning activity.
If there are inaccuracies, or opportunities for significant improvement on this topic, feedback is welcome on how to improve the resource.
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Wicked problems are a subset type of complex problems that are defined by two key characteristics:

1. It is impossible to identify all the causes of a wicked problem
2. The definition of the problem itself is contested

For instance, drug abuse is a wicked problem since its causes range from developmental experiences to the lack of legal deterrence. Even the definition of drug abuse as a problem is contested, as some believe one should take personal responsibility for such self-harming decisions. In general, problems that involve complex social systems are likely to be ‘wicked’.

Identifying these problems as ‘wicked’ helps us recognise that there is neither a best solution nor a way to completely solve all the underlying problems; It is always a work in progress. When attempting to address the problem, you should also expect resistance from those who contest its definition and for unforeseen consequences to your actions. Therefore, wicked problems cannot be effectively addressed using conventional expert-driven analysis, which assume in the first place that the problem and its causes can be clearly defined by analysing past or similar cases.

How then should you approach wicked problems?

As a starting point, you can adopt a meta-approach: even if you cannot dissect why the problem arises, you can analyse why you are not able to fully define the problem and its causes. In other words, you should identify what is the cause of wickedness. The table below suggests some of the specific causes of wickedness, grouped into various causal categories but there might still be others unique to each wicked problem. This process of causal identification should not be one-off but continually updated in light of new information or feedback from trials.

By understanding the causes of wickedness, you can then adopt the suitable methods to work around it.

For the problem of drug abuse, a key reason why all its causes cannot be identified is because addicts and dealers will adapt their behaviour to new policies. Outlawing drug use, for instance, may cause addicts to avoid seeking help. The new policy thus becomes another cause of the problem. Since adaptive behaviour is a cause of wickedness, creating a system that monitors and adapts to the behaviour of dealers and addicts could thus be a useful taming strategy.

There is also a social dimension to this wicked problem of drug abuse: the interests of stakeholders are fragmented. Politicians may prefer a ‘deterrence’ approach to project an image of ‘strong leadership’. Other interest groups may advocate for voluntary rehabilitation as they believe that one should take responsibility for his/her self-harming decisions. A key part of the taming strategy could therefore be to get these stakeholders to collaborate and to coordinate their efforts to tame the problem from multiple directions simultaneously.

There are many other methods to tame wicked problems. Since there is no best answer, the key to taming wicked problems is to choose and modify one appropriate to the cause of wickedness and to adapt the strategy as the situation changes.