Wicked Problem
= In a wicked problem there are multiple views and definitions of ‘the problem’, and ambiguity on the problem boundaries.
Description
1.
Roy Bhaskar et al. :
"Theorists, such as Hulme (2009), use the term ‘wicked problems’ in an attempt to illuminate the novel and dynamic qualities of complexity associated with many of our 21st-century challenges, such as climate change.
The notion of "wicked problems", introduced by Rittel and Webber (1973), was used originally in social planning to describe a problem that is resistant to simple resolution due to the complex, open-systemic interdependencies of its multiple natural and social facets as they dynamically morph, reconfigure into emergent relational networks, and feedback on each other in complex, non-linear ways.
The term ‘wicked’ is used, not in the sense of evil or any other normative judgment, but rather to refer to resistance to simple resolution. Moreover, because of such complex interdependencies, the effort to solve one aspect of a wicked problem may reveal or create other problems, much like Hercules found in trying to slay the Hydra, according to the ancient Greek myth."
(https://www.academia.edu/26063515/On_the_Deep_Need_for_Integrative_Metatheory_in_the_21st_Century)
2. Jose Ramos:
To describe this Conklin draws from Horst Rittel’s definition of a wicked problem, in which:
- One cannot understand the problem without knowing about its context; one cannot meaningfully search for information without the orientation of a solution concept; one cannot first understand, then solve. Moreover, what “the Problem” is depends on who you ask – different stakeholders have different views about what the problem is and what constitutes an acceptable solution. (Conklin, 2006, p. 14)