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Wicked problems are not simply very difficult problems. They are situations in which stakeholders disagree about what is wrong, causes and effects are entangled, actions change the situation, and no final or universally accepted solution exists.

We cannot fix healthcare, but we can improve it.

We cannot eliminate homelessness, but we can help homeless people.

We cannot eliminate hatred, but we can get some people to talk with one another.

Our task is therefore not to solve the problem once and for all. It is to formulate the situation well enough to act, make responsible progress, learn from consequences, and repeatedly reformulate the problem as conditions evolve.

The twelve principles below retain the discipline of sound problem solving while adapting it to contested definitions, distributed authority, uncertainty, delayed feedback, value conflict, and unavoidable tradeoffs.

• Work on the right formulation of the real problem, not merely the first problem statement.
• Define progress before claiming success.
• Expect every intervention to create consequences, tradeoffs, and new problems.
• Do the best responsible thing you can in the time you have.
• Create a portfolio of responses rather than betting on one grand solution.
• Consider proposed action and implementation together.
• Engage stakeholders as co-interpreters, not merely as people to persuade.
• Look for emerging problems before they become crises.
• Assume the problem will change while you are working on it.
• Resist simple answers but seek simple next steps.
• Make uncertainty, disagreement, and bad news visible.
• Optimize for the whole system and remain prepared to rebalance it.

You cannot eliminate wickedness, but you can navigate it intelligently. Work on reducing harm, increasing value, preserving options, strengthening the system’s capacity to adapt, and making defensible progress despite disagreement and uncertainty.

Remember, wicked problems do not exist in isolation. They are part of a system, so learn to navigate the system. I wrote Navigating the Wicked World to help you do that.

Well, the kids are back in school. I hope the newest generation can navigate some of the wicked problems my generation is leaving behind.

Bill