What are wicked problems?

Wicked problems are multi-faceted socio-political-ecological-technological issues that have persisted for years or even decades, with multiple causes and no single solution. As sizable, systemic challenges, they impact a broad spectrum of individuals and communities, have diverse consequences and effects, and require collaboration across different timeframes, expertise, ecosystems, and stakeholder groups.

Defined by intricate interdependencies, wicked problems heighten the risk of unintended consequences and necessitate a multi-dimensional perspective to identify and implement effective solutions.

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The defining characteristics of wicked problems, as per Rittel and Webber in their 1973 article on Urban Planning, include:

• There is no definitive formulation of a wicked problem.

• Wicked problems have no stopping rule.

• Solutions to wicked problems are not true-or-false, but good-or-bad.

• There is no immediate and no ultimate test of a solution to a wicked problem.

• Every solution to a wicked problem is a "one-shot operation"; there is no opportunity to learn by trial and error, every attempt counts significantly.

• Wicked problems do not have an enumerable (or an exhaustively describable) set of potential solutions, nor a well-described set of permissible operations.

• Every wicked problem is essentially unique.

• Each wicked problem can be considered a symptom of another problem.

• The explanation chosen for a wicked problem determines the nature of its resolution.

• Planners are accountable for the consequences of the solutions they implement.

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To address a wicked challenge, it’s crucial to understand and map the entire system, including its past, present, and future. This iterative process involves engaging with diverse stakeholders across international borders, industries, and governments.

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Understanding the System: Systems Map

A comprehensive map of how system elements interact, showing the relationships between stakeholders and the effects of different elements on each other.

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Understanding the Stakeholders: Stakeholder Mapping

Identify the primary, secondary, tertiary, sectoral, market, and global stakeholders, their alignments or conflicts, and their concerns and aspirations.

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Historical Timeline Mapping

Trace how past events have contributed to the development of the wicked challenge across different timespans.

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Weak Signal Mapping

Detect current weak signals and trends worldwide, and project their potential impacts on the problem.

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Selecting an Intervention

After analyzing the system and creating these maps, identify a variable or element in the System Map. Changing or working on this could lead to a positive or significantly less negative impact on the problem, marking the intervention point.

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Developing the Intervention

Create a 'How Might We' (HMW) statement that addresses the Action, Subject, and Key Outcomes. Evaluate the statement for possible unintended outcomes that could affect the system differently or create new problems.

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In our group project, we focused on the future of information, exploring digital data collection and its implications. We aimed to understand how apps and websites collect data, how firms process and monetize it, and its influence on users. Our goal was to find interventions where data collection benefits the user, framing our strategy around ‘Data for Human Purpose.’ We used Systems Mapping, Stakeholder Analysis, and Unintended Consequences tools to develop our HMW strategy.