{"id":35781,"date":"2024-02-12T15:21:10","date_gmt":"2024-02-12T23:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=35781"},"modified":"2024-02-12T15:21:10","modified_gmt":"2024-02-12T23:21:10","slug":"to-do-our-part","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/to-do-our-part\/","title":{"rendered":"To Do Our Part"},"content":{"rendered":"

In their book, Exploring Wicked Problems, What they Are and Why They Are Important<\/em>, Joseph Bentley and Michael Toth explain the difference between \u201cwicked problems,\u201d those that are \u201ccomplex, messy and unpredictable\u201d and \u201ctame problems,\u201d those that have solutions and can be solved.[1]<\/a> Using climate change or global warming as an example for a wicked problem they explain that \u201cwicked problems can never be truly solved\u201d[2]<\/a> as we have not been able to name climate change correctly, there is no clear solution to the problem only better or worse responses,[3]<\/a> and we, humans are a major part of the problem![4]<\/a> To solve climate change is impossible. There are too many contributing factors, too many layers to understand, and too many humans with their own thoughts, opinions, feelings and behaviors.<\/p>\n

It’s enough to make me want to go back to bed, pull the covers over my head, and pretend it will go away on its own\u2026but my feelings of overwhelm and desire to ignore it, are part of what make it a wicked problem.<\/p>\n

Leadership, NPOs and Wicked Problems<\/strong><\/p>\n

In my inspectional reading of this book, it seems to me that a task of leadership then is to pull back the viewfinder to try to see the larger problem, do the research to understand and articulate the problem, and then figure out what I can do and what I can lead others to do to make the situation a little bit better.<\/p>\n

I believe that in our readings and blog posts we are attempting to do some of this. We are learning about wicked problems that face our society, such as Cancel Culture, the rise of AI, Identity Politics, the misuse of capitalism. We are practicing naming and understanding some of the wicked problems we see in the world through our NPOs. Our NPOs also help us to \u201ccreate an actionable problem\u201d by \u201cclaiming a small part of the mess that is not only interesting to us but seems to be something we can actually do something about.\u201d[5]<\/a> The projects that evolve from our NPOs are the \u201caction that will make a difference.\u201d[6]<\/a> The wicked problem we are trying to address will remain wicked, as we will not solve the entire problem, but hopefully we will \u201cnarrow the gap\u201d inherent in the problem.[7]<\/a><\/p>\n

I appreciated this book because it addressed the feeling of overwhelm that often cripples me as a leader. To be able to name a problem as wicked means that I can give myself permission to not have to solve the entire problem but to be able to lead people in an actionable way that will make a difference, even if the difference is miniscule.<\/p>\n

Boiling it All Down<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the end of chapter 19, the authors provide several questions and answers. The first question is, \u201cWhat if the problem is too big.\u201d Their answer is, \u201cThe problem is always too big. Ending up with a right-sized problem means making it actionable by claiming some part of the mess.\u201d[8]<\/a> That feels way less overwhelming than trying to address the entire problem! In the book we just read, \u201cThe Canceling of the American Mind: How Cancel Culture Undermines Trust, Destroys Institutions, and Threatens Us All<\/em>,\u201d the authors, Greg Lukianoff and Rikki Schlott addressed what is quickly becoming the world-wide problem of Cancel Culture, yet they did so by tackling Cancel Culture in America instead of trying to take on the world. More specifically, they focused on Cancel Culture in universities.[9]<\/a> The authors bit off just the amount of the problem that they could actually chew.<\/p>\n

They then pose another question that often stops me in my tracks, \u201cWhat if people want different things?\u201d[10]<\/a> For a leader, their answer requires we create trusting relationships with those we are leading. They write, \u201cWhat is required is the ability to move people \u2013 by persuading, convincing, and teaching them toward wanting the same things.\u201d[11]<\/a> In his definition of leadership, Northouse says basically the same thing, writing, \u201cLeadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.\u201d[12]<\/a> When leading a group of people, the leader will face as many varying opinions and desires as there are people to lead. Moving people toward \u201cwanting the same things\u201d or a \u201ccommon goal\u201d requires building trust with the people you are trying to move so that they will follow.<\/p>\n

In their next answer they remind us that wicked problems present us with no final answers, that \u201cthe answers that actually work are those we create ourselves.\u201d[13]<\/a> I appreciate that there are no final answers because to keep moving us forward in a better way, will require all of us to do our part. Nobody, by oneself can solve the problem, so we all must solve parts of the problem. As a Christian, this brings to mind the image of the Body of Christ. We are all responsible for part of making the whole healthy. [14]<\/a> \u201c<\/sup>Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.\u201d[15]<\/a><\/p>\n

Finally, they answer the question, \u201cIs the problem us?\u201d and their answer is, \u201cYes, at least part of it. Our challenge is to make changes in ourselves while at the same time we are making changes in the world.\u201d[16]<\/a> One of the outcomes of of addressing wicked problems is our own transformation. As those who try to follow Jesus, we are called to address what we can of these \u201cwicked problems,\u201d this, often including, what needs to be addressed in our own hearts, minds, and actions.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Joseph Bently and Michael Toth, Exploring Wicked Problems, What they Are and Why They Are Important, <\/em>Archway Publishing, Bloomington, IN, 2020, Scribd, 11.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Ibid, 21.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Ibid, 20.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Ibid, 21.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Ibid, 221.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Ibid, 223.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> Ibid, 223.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Ibid, 223.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Greg Lukianoff and Rikki Schlott, The Canceling of the American Mind: How Cancel Culture Undermines Trust, Destroys Institutions, and Threatens Us All<\/em>, Simon and Schuster, October 2023.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> Joseph Bently and Michael Toth, Exploring Wicked Problems, What they Are and Why They Are Important, <\/em>Archway Publishing, Bloomington, IN, 2020, Scribd, 224.<\/p>\n

[11]<\/a> Ibid.<\/p>\n

[12]<\/a> Peter G. Northouse, Leadership: Theory and Practice (London: Sage Publications, 2010) 3.<\/p>\n

[13]<\/a> Joseph Bently and Michael Toth, Exploring Wicked Problems, What they Are and Why They Are Important, <\/em>Archway Publishing, Bloomington, IN, 2020, Scribd, 224.<\/p>\n

[14]<\/a> 1 Corinthians 12, NRSVUE<\/p>\n

[15]<\/a> 1 Corinthians 12:7, NRSVUE<\/p>\n

[16]<\/a> Joseph Bently and Michael Toth, Exploring Wicked Problems, What they Are and Why They Are Important, <\/em>Archway Publishing, Bloomington, IN, 2020, Scribd, 224.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In their book, Exploring Wicked Problems, What they Are and Why They Are Important, Joseph Bentley and Michael Toth explain the difference between \u201cwicked problems,\u201d those that are \u201ccomplex, messy and unpredictable\u201d and \u201ctame problems,\u201d those that have solutions and can be solved.[1] Using climate change or global warming as an example for a wicked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":170,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2994,3053,2489,2995],"class_list":["post-35781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-bentley","tag-bentleyandtoth","tag-dlgp02","tag-toth","cohort-dlgp02"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/170"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35781"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35781\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35782,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35781\/revisions\/35782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}