wicked problems
Unsolvable complex challenges
Wicked problems are complex issues that resist straightforward solutions—problems where the problem itself is hard to define, stakeholders disagree on goals, and attempted fixes create new complications.
Urban poverty, climate change, and healthcare reform are classic examples.
The term comes from design and planning theory, contrasting with "tame" problems that have clear parameters and testable solutions.
Every solution we tried just shifted the wicked problem somewhere else.
- dilemmasDifficult choices between alternatives
- unsolvableImpossible to resolve
- tangled webComplex network of deceit
- complexesRelated buildings or neuroses
- stakeholder analysisMapping affected parties' concerns
situations · grey areas · policies · uncertainties · moving target · shifting sands · root causes · systems thinking · big picture · hydras · collective intelligence · quagmires · feedback loops · unintended consequences · climate change · decision making · holistic approach · design thinking
wicked, problem, problems, wickedly, wickedness, problematic, problematically, problematize, problematizing