Wicked Problem Tree

From BlueOxen

This is a metaphor I've been noodling with for a long time as a way of explaining both what Wicked Problems are and how we can start tackling them. Ideally, I'd like to see this story converted into an animation.

This is a tree. Your job is to pick all the fruit. How would you do it?

• just get to work!
• might have to jump to get the higher fruit
• or perhaps you might use a tool -- a ladder or a fruit-picker

Easy right? Well, what if it were a wicked problem tree? For example, what if the tree were ten times bigger? No problem, right? Just get to work. Maybe recruit a few more people to help you.

Well, what if it were a hundred times bigger? No, let's say a thousand times bigger? If you and your friends do the same as before, the fruit will rot before you have a chance to pick it all. So you either need a lot more people, or you need better tools. Perhaps a fruit picking machine.

Okay, so now you've invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into your fruit-picking machine. Now you can just sit back and enjoy your fruit, right? Well, the wicked problem tree isn't that easy. As you quickly discover, every time you pick a certain amount of fruit, the tree changes. Moreover, the tree looks different depending on where you look at it. What do you do now?

Well, you might sit back and ask yourself, why are you picking the fruit in the first place? Is this really what you want to be doing? You might have a different answer than everyone else. Remember, the tree looks different to everybody.

What are you going to do?

Wicked problems are, by definition, problems that have no easy solution. They are so large and complex, they look different to everyone. Worse still, as you start to try to solve the problems, the problems themselves start to change.

Wicked problems are systemic. They cannot be solved by one person or one organization.

Wicked problems are rampant in society today. The environment, politics, poverty, hunger. These are problems we all want to solve, and we're trying are darnedest, but at times, it just feels like we're not getting anywhere.

How do we solve wicked problems? Well, let's go back to our Wicked Problem Tree.

We know one person or a small group of people can't pick all the fruit off our tree, so we need lots of people. That means we need to collaborate with each other on some level. But because the Wicked Problem Tree looks different to everyone, we're not likely to come to agreement on what the right solution is. That's okay, because there is no one right solution. So we need to attack the problem and its many facets in many different ways and in parallel.

It would be nice if we had some Shared Understanding of what the tree looked like to everyone. We would like to Visualize the Wicked Problem Tree and all its facets to the best extent possible. Because the tree is going to change, we need to continually update our visualization. With this Shared Understanding, we would have a better idea of the different roles each different solution might play. It would allow us to Collaborate.

We also know that as we pick the fruit, the tree changes. Devising a strategy that picks all the fruit as quickly as possible doesn't help us, because we know the problem is going to change. We're better off going after the Low Hanging Fruit first, regrouping and reVisualizing, then identifying and going after the new Low Hanging Fruit. The problem keeps changing, so you need to keep changing too. By attacking the problem in small chunks rather than large ones, you have the opportunity to learn and adapt.

Finally, repeat what you did before, except do it better. Now you've had experience collaborating with others, so figure out ways to get better at it. You might have figured out specific techniques that work well, so improve those too.

Let's review.

• Assume large-scale collaboration. But don't assume that everyone has to agree on the one right approach. There is no one right approach.
• The key to the collaboration is not agreeing on the approach, but building Shared Understanding. Visualization helps tremendously.
• Break the problem down into small parts, and go after the low-hanging fruit.
• Iterate and improve.

The Wicked Problem Tree is devious, because it keeps changing. But if you follow these strategies, then you change too. You become collectively smarter. The smarter you are collectively, the greater your chances to solve these wicked problems.