{"id":35813,"date":"2024-02-14T15:55:32","date_gmt":"2024-02-14T23:55:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=35813"},"modified":"2024-02-14T16:08:15","modified_gmt":"2024-02-15T00:08:15","slug":"hope-for-unsolvable-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/hope-for-unsolvable-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"Hope for Unsolvable Problems"},"content":{"rendered":"

Better Together
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

I like solving problems. Unless they\u2019re mathematical! Those problems are best managed by someone more qualified. Actually, there are quite a few problems which I do not have the expertise to tackle and it would be foolish and potentially dangerous to attempt to do so on my own. However, that does not relieve me of any responsibility for addressing the problems that come my way personally, within the organizations and institutions I am involved, or globally because they concern all of humanity. My expertise, level of interest, and emotional responses all impact my choices to engage with problems that call for my attention.<\/p>\n

Admittedly, the problems I solve best are tame. They occur regularly and I have lots of practice solving them. It\u2019s the bigger, long-standing, and complex problems that trouble me most. In Exploring Wicked Problems: What They are and Why They are Important<\/em>, Joseph Bentley and Michael Toth explain the nature of wicked problems, \u201cWicked problems can never be truly solved.\u201d[1]<\/a> Knowing that many problems are not solvable is very freeing. That truth makes wicked problems more interesting and surprisingly offers me hope, \u201cWicked problems are found wherever people come together and try to make things better.\u201d[2]<\/a> \u00a0For me, people coming together to make things better is an exciting prospect. I’m reminded of Greg Satell\u2019s \u201ccascades\u201d in which transformation can be achieved with this simple formula for change: \u201csmall groups\u2014loosely connected\u2014but united with a common purpose.\u201d[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

It’s a Mess out There!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bentley and Toth further explained that wicked problems are really messes. Messes are multiple problems that are, \u201congoing, interrelated, dynamic, fuzzy, complicated, confusing, complex, chaotic situations.\u201d[4]<\/a> The goal to managing wicked problems is to extract a problem from the mess.[5]<\/a> This feels less overwhelming and more manageable to me. I want to make a difference, but I can\u2019t solve the entire mess. I found the nine steps to taming a mess very helpful. 1. Address the Mess. 2. Find the Problem. 3. Own the Problem. 4. Create the Problem. 5. Define the Problem. 6. Name the Problem. 7. Identify the Obstacles. 8. Recruit, Enlist, and Engage Others. 9. Create and Implement an Action Plan.[6]<\/a><\/p>\n

This process sounds familiar in terms of addressing my NPO. However, two components grabbed my attention: owning and creating the problem. Owning a wicked problem means I’m willing to be vulnerable and enter the mess, not create solutions from afar, but personally. I’m invested and committed. I feel the problem deeply and I\u2019m ready to join forces with others who feel and are impacted by the problem. The idea of creating the problem by exposing it and choosing to do something about it makes the problem visible to others and future solutions actionable. It is from this place that Annabel Beerel\u2019s words resonate, \u201cThe key task of leadership is to identify<\/em>, <\/em>frame<\/em>, and align<\/em> people to new realities.\u201d[7]<\/a> Wicked problems are opportunities to create and experience a new reality. In other words, wicked problems are threshold spaces that require wise leaders to venture into the unknown.<\/p>\n

Who\u2019s Responsible for the Mess?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The short answer\u2026 wicked problems belong to everyone. Bentley and Toth argue that we are the problem.[8]<\/a> By that I infer that I’m part of the solution. I have responsibility for at least some part of the problem. Even if I am not responsible for the entire mess, can I own one problem and care enough to do something about it? Is there a way I can band together with others to help create solutions for one manageable piece of the mess we are all in? My answer to both questions is a willing, \u201cYes and Amen!\u201d As a Christian, I have a biblical mandate to care for all that God has made, to relieve burdens, and to restore.<\/p>\n

Mind the Gap<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

Two gaps were mentioned by Bentley and Toth. The first gap is between where we are and where we want to go.[9]<\/a> We have to look at what is missing, what we are failing to see, and then define it. This requires me to slow down and pay attention. The second gap is then, “knowing what we should do and actually doing it.\u201d[10]<\/a> Matching what I am noticing with my passions and expertise make it far more likely that I will follow through and not give up. I loved the questions raised by the authors:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. What manageable part of this chaotic and confusing situation do I really care about?<\/li>\n
  2. Based on what I have to offer, can I define it in a way that enables me to make it better?[11]<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    I’m inspired to look at wicked problems differently, to break them down into a manageable problem that I can offer my expertise, passion, and time to address. The wicked problem won’t be solved by my efforts, but it will be managed in a way that offers relief, support, and courage to those affected by it. I am encouraged by Greg Satell\u2019s words, \u201cSimple things can sometimes have enormous impacts.\u201d[12]<\/a> I find hope and freedom as I move through my doctoral journey with a deep sense of gratitude for the tools that I am acquiring as I address problems that have concerned me for a long time.<\/p>\n

    The beautiful paradox of wicked problems is they are good for us and help us become who and what we want to be.[13]<\/a> Without problems I would never know the rich experience of working side-by-side with others who care about our world, desire to make God known, and bring a little more of God\u2019s Kingdom to earth.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    [1]<\/a> Joseph Bentley and Michael Toth, Exploring Wicked Problem: What They are and Why They are Important <\/em>(Bloomington, IN: Archway Publishing, 2020), 2.<\/p>\n

    [2]<\/a> Bentley and Toth, Exploring Wicked Problem,<\/em> 3.<\/p>\n

    [3]<\/a> Greg Satell, Cascades: How to Create a Movement that Drives Transformational Change<\/em>. (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2019), 19.<\/p>\n

    [4]<\/a> Bentley and Toth, Exploring Wicked Problem,<\/em> 63.<\/p>\n

    [5]<\/a> Ibid., 76.<\/p>\n

    [6]<\/a> Ibid., 80-82.<\/p>\n

    [7]<\/a> Annabel Beerel, Rethinking Leadership: A Critique of Contemporary Theories <\/em>(London, UK: Routledge, 2021), 178.<\/p>\n

    [8]<\/a> Bentley and Toth, Exploring Wicked Problems,<\/em> 197.<\/p>\n

    [9]<\/a> Ibid., 78.<\/p>\n

    [10]<\/a> Ibid., 186.<\/p>\n

    [11]<\/a> Ibid., 209.<\/p>\n

    [12]<\/a> Greg Satell, Cascades,<\/em> 198.<\/em><\/p>\n

    [13]<\/a> Bentley and Toth, Exploring Wicked Problems, <\/em>50.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Better Together I like solving problems. Unless they\u2019re mathematical! Those problems are best managed by someone more qualified. Actually, there are quite a few problems which I do not have the expertise to tackle and it would be foolish and potentially dangerous to attempt to do so on my own. However, that does not relieve […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":184,"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":[2310],"tags":[2994,2489,2995],"class_list":["post-35813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doctor-of-leadership-3","tag-bentley","tag-dlgp02","tag-toth","cohort-dlgp02"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35813","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\/184"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35813"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35824,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35813\/revisions\/35824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}