Digging up the Roots of Problems for Greater Clarity and Care
“In order to find what the problems are one must drill down to the level of individual cases: people who are sexually assaulted and those who do the assaulting both have problems, an unemployed person does have a problem, a binge-drinker who cannot stay sober through a weekend has a problem. But when you collapse all the individual cases into a category, what you have is a mess. Messes are ongoing, interrelated, dynamic, fuzzy, complicated, confusing complex, chaotic situations. . . they are the incubators of wicked problems.” [1]
Authors of the book Exploring Wicked Problems: What They Are and Why They Are Important, Joseph Bentley and Michael Toth, invite the reader on a journey of identifying messes, and problems, as well as engaging in a problem-solving approach developed by Rittel and Webber. [2] The author defines “mess” to describe the complexities that are found in organizations and social systems, families, and relationships. [3] The text points out the fruitlessness of trying to get through a mess, noting that doing so without a greater understanding of the underlying issues resident within the mess potentially leads to endless, hurtful arguments, not to mention hurt feelings, damaged relationships, and the risk of being canceled. The author compares and contrasts the mess as smoke, with the ability to identify a problem as light, noting that what is needed is a common, shared problem, offering people the ability to come together and figure out what is going on and what people can collaborate on to make it better. [4]
The book emphasizes that until we fully understand the complexities to deal with, there is no way to know what we can do that will truly help. [5] In my mind, this connects to the tool for moral dialogue, from Petrusek’s book, Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the Political Culture . The map for moral dialogue contained a conceptual hierarchy, including questions in each domain of inquiry. The visual may be a tool for understand deeper layers into the “mess” or problem. [6] Tools, like these, may assist leaders in understanding what a person brings to the table when engaging in a discourse. The high, hard ground not only has a will but also makes a way to understand a person’s point of view and perspective, communicating care and building rapport and trust.
There are many reasons why the ability to trust has been challenged in our culture. As Lukianoff stated in his book, “Cancel culture has devastated the trust we have in the very institution we rely on to produce knowledge and to educate future generations of Americans”. [7] I can’t help but think that the trust factor, or lack thereof, not only applies to educational institutions but to relationships in general, presenting problems or messes for pastors, leaders, teachers/professors, and even neighbors, friends and colleagues. In other words, on so many levels (or venues of relationships) we have lost the art of engaging in loving dialogue to uncover what Bentley and Toth refer to in the book as “the problem”, not the mess. The authors state, “We need to resist the siren song that promises easy, quit, simple fixes and instead make the effort to dig down into a complexity that inevitably lines beneath the surface of the situation, so we can make sense of what is actually going on and find our way through to the other side of the issue. [8]
The first step in managing the mess is to find a potential problem within the mass that concerns you and then turn that into a real problem that can be worked on. [9] So if we, as leaders, are going to find the potential problem within the mess what are the characteristics of a problem?
The authors extrapolate a few characteristics of problems:
- Problems are abstractions; beginning as worries, concerns, and fears about specific issues, events, or situations.
- Problems are created by people.
- Problems represent gaps in a current reality that is unsatisfactory and a desired future state.
- Problems display the emergence of emotion within the gap.
- Problems often are compounded, presenting other problems that bring about the complexity of getting from current reality to the desired state.
When I think about these descriptions of problems, I think about weeds. Anyone else a “weeder”? A weeder is defined as a person who finds great pleasure in getting dirty in the yard, while on a mission to pull out weeds, by the roots. Maybe the process of gardening and weeding could be applied to getting to the root of the problem, to pull out the roots (uncover the gaps, emotions, fears, etc), in order to not choke out the other plants, giving overall health to the garden)? So how can problems propel people to a point of harmony and productivity? The authors suggest that productive work can commence only after individuals reach a consensus on the nature of the problem, clearly identifying and defining the gaps between the current state and the desired outcome. When I think about some of the best problem solving strategies, I think about a master problem-solver, a peacemaker named Jesus. In Pam Lau’s Blog Post titled, Creative Minority Groups: Taming Wicked Problems Jesus-Style, she states, “In the Beatitudes, Jesus declares that the good life belongs to peacemakers. Yet making peace or solving problems Jesus-style will mean conflict, pain, difficulty, and even persecution.” [10] As we consider the ways of the master peacemaker, Jesus, how might his model of problem solving inspire us as we get to the roots of problems, engage in discourse, listen actively to others and respond and react in truth and love? Pairing Jesus’ model of problem solving with tools for digging deeper into the roots of messes to uncover the problem, brings greater clarity into the lives of the people I lead and through prayerful consideration, I am better equipped to care for them in more profound ways.
[1] Joseph Bentley PhD, and Michael Toth, PhD. Exploring Wicked Problems: What They Are and Why They Are Important. Archway Publishing, 2020, 63.
[2] Ibid, xiv.
[3] Ibid, 63.
[4] Ibid, 66.
[5] Ibid, 69.
[6] Matthew R. Petrusek, Evangelization and Ideology: How to Understand and Respond to the Political Culture (Park Ridge, IL: Word on Fire Institute, 2023), 59.
[7] Greg Lukianoff and Rikki Schlott, The Canceling of the American Mind, (New York NY: Simon & Schuster, 2023), 72.
[8] Joseph Bentley PhD, and Michael Toth, PhD. Exploring Wicked Problems: What They Are and Why They Are Important. Archway Publishing, 2020, 70.
[9] Ibid, 76.
[10]Pam Lau, Creative Minority Groups: Taming Wicked Problems Jesus-Style, she states, “In the Beatitudes, February 13, 2024; accessed February 14, 2024, https://blogs.georgefox.edu/dlgp/creative-minority-groups-taming-wicked-problems-jesus-style/.
About the Author
Cathy Glei
Cathy Glei serves as an instructional leader and pastor with over 27 years in education and ministry. She is dedicated to discipling others as they grow in their relationship with God, others and the world. Cathy has facilitated numerous professional development sessions, trainings, and workshops in both education and ministry. Passionate about supporting others in uncovering the Creator's design within them, Cathy lives in Michigan with her husband, Steve, and their eight-year-old Springer Spaniel, Otis. Cathy is a mother of three daughters and "Gooma" (grandma) to two adorable grandsons (emphasis on adorable 😊). She enjoys listening and exchanging laughter and stories with others, hanging out with friends, both old and new, as well as being outdoors, enjoying activities such as cycling, camping, hiking, and kayaking.4 responses to “Digging up the Roots of Problems for Greater Clarity and Care”
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Cathy, you write about Jesus as the master problem-solver / peacemaker. Connecting that to what you highlighted regarding people needing to come together to collaborate around problem-solving…makes me think about the way that the body of Christ, with different gifts, different abilities, different experiences and different expertise…comes together as the church — as Christ’s hands and feet — to help their neighbors (and one another). I’d love to explore a theology that connects the diverse body of Christ to various problem-solving activities. I would be curious how you make connections to others in your profession to help collaboratively solve problems that could be defined as wicked among the people you serve (as you “care for them in more profound ways”).
Thank you for asking Travis. I recently attended some training to help leaders, specifically coaches, facilitate conversations within the categories of dialogue, discussion (the two are different), and decision making). It was from an organization called “Thinking Collaborative”. The specific trainings I received were Cognitive Coaching and Adaptive Schools. I found the templates and protocols helpful and began to think of the crossover to other organizations. While the intent of the training was specifically for coaches and administrators, I see how these tools could be used in church settings for engaging in dialogues, discussion and decision-making.
Nice writing, Cathy!
You wrote, “I can’t help but think that the trust factor, or lack thereof, does not only apply to educational institutions but to relationships in general, presenting problems or messes for pastors, leaders, teachers/professors, and even neighbors, friends and colleagues. In other words, on so many levels (or venues of relationships) we have lost the art of engaging in loving dialogue to uncover what Bentley and Toth refer to in the book as “the problem”, not the mess.”
In your opinion, when in the context of ministry, trust is violated due to inappropriate actions such as harassment, how do you rebuild the trust that may have been damaged, not only in an individual but also in the wider community?
Thank you for your question. I have found that trust is on the road to repair in relationships when a process of healing takes place that involves confession, forgiveness, and reconciliation.