Nicole, great series of articles. One question, I have seen many of the complex problem concepts you mentioned used when describing Wicked Problems. Are we talking about the same with a different name? Thanks!
They often show up together, but they don’t have to. You can have complex but not wicked:
Building a spacecraft is highly complex, but the goal is clear. You can have wicked but not deeply complex: A policy debate with conflicting values may be wicked even if the system itself is not technically complex.
Many real-world challenges are both: For example, federal modernization. The system is complex (multiple agencies, data flows, regulations), and the problem is wicked (different definitions of “efficiency,” “compliance,” and “risk”). A supply chain disruption is complex. A climate adaptation policy debate is wicked.
Nicole, great series of articles. One question, I have seen many of the complex problem concepts you mentioned used when describing Wicked Problems. Are we talking about the same with a different name? Thanks!
Complexity = the nature of the system
Wickedness = the nature of the problem framing
They often show up together, but they don’t have to. You can have complex but not wicked:
Building a spacecraft is highly complex, but the goal is clear. You can have wicked but not deeply complex: A policy debate with conflicting values may be wicked even if the system itself is not technically complex.
Many real-world challenges are both: For example, federal modernization. The system is complex (multiple agencies, data flows, regulations), and the problem is wicked (different definitions of “efficiency,” “compliance,” and “risk”). A supply chain disruption is complex. A climate adaptation policy debate is wicked.