{"id":40850,"date":"2025-02-26T20:04:11","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T04:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/?p=40850"},"modified":"2025-02-26T20:04:11","modified_gmt":"2025-02-27T04:04:11","slug":"embracing-the-wicked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/embracing-the-wicked\/","title":{"rendered":"Embracing the Wicked"},"content":{"rendered":"

Problems are a common part of living. Solving many of them may be relatively simple. They give people confidence to try new things, thinking that the strategies for problem X would likely work for other problems. In addition, problem solving has other benefits such as giving life meaning, building mental growth, stimulating thinking and helping develop emotional life[1]<\/a>. However, in their book Exploring Wicked Problems<\/em>, authors, Joseph Bentley, PhD and Michael Toth, PhD discuss two very different types of problems, Tame and Wick. Tame problems are \u00a0those that can be solved by employing specific approaches by people with the right knowledge or experience, leading to the benefits mentioned above. Wicked problems are those that are not only difficult to solve, sometimes there are no right answers for solving them. These are difficult problems that might need the leader to choose the best approach available from a number of bad options[2]<\/a>. I would like to explore how wicked problems can impact organizations, the unnatural acts that are often part of organizations, intricacies of working in the swamp versus high ground and more, however time and space limitations prohibit much of that. In this post I will explore how to recognize a wicked problem and some of the different approaches to working with them. Finally, I will share some realizations I had in reading this book and where I see it may impact my current situation.<\/p>\n

Wicked problems are most often recognized when there are messy situations that can\u2019t seem to be fixed but are difficult to ignore. Messes are ill-defined yet troublesome situations[3]<\/a>. Messes do not get solved, but can turn into\u00a0 problem through analysis, then discussion, reflecting, and vetting the pieces of the mess and extracting something that can tangibly be worked on to exact some kind of change[4]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The authors did give some hope for dealing with wicked problems, taming them. Just like the lion-tamer in the center ring with a lion, wicked problems will always be difficult, dangerous, or more, yet they can be tamed[5]<\/a>.Taming wicked problems involves taking a step aside to get an outside look at the problem and see what is important that can be considered and if there is a part of the problem that might be able to be solved \u2013 tamed. The authors recommended 8 steps to taming a portion of a wicked problem:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Find the problem: What needs attention now.<\/li>\n
  2. Own the problem: Admit that it is important to either the community or more broadly.<\/li>\n
  3. Create the problem: This is done by taking a messy situation and creating some order then claiming ownership of this step with the situation.<\/li>\n
  4. Define the problem: The definition is formed when someone is able to state where they are with the problem and where they want to go.<\/li>\n
  5. Name the problem: This opens the door to meaningful discussions and action steps.<\/li>\n
  6. Identify Obstacles: What stands in the way of reaching the goal?<\/li>\n
  7. Recruit, Enlist, and Engage Others: Some examples of how to accomplish this, wicked problems need a team approach from those who are about the problem, is willing to work on it, has some knowledge or experience related to it.<\/li>\n
  8. Create and implement an action plan: This gives direction to the effort that could reduce the impact of the overall wicked problem[6]<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Exploring Wicked Problems was the last book I wanted to read. I spend most of my days navigating problematic situations and wasn\u2019t very interested in reading about them. However, the book was extremely accessible, made sense to me, and gave me hope. As I was reading this book, I thought of Jesus talking to the disciples, generally in Matthew and specifically to Judas Iscariot in John saying that the poor would always be present[7]<\/a>. It reminds me that even Jesus did not wipe out all the wicked problems. But Jesus modeled how to be present with each person regardless of their status. Mack McLarty who spoke to us at the DC advance also came to mind while I was reading this week. He had served with a number of presidents and specifically as President Clinton\u2019s Chief of Staff for a time. I thought about all the wicked problems that sit on the desk of leaders in our capitol. What struck me was that Mr. McLarty talked about relationships. Talking with people based on them as a person and getting to know them[8]<\/a>. Even now, I think he was taming a piece of a wicked problem because when we get to really know people who are co-worker, friend, neighbor, or political adversary we stop treating them like an object to be disregarded. There is a chance for growth.<\/p>\n

    Last weekend I went on our confirmation class retreat with a bunch of teens. I love teaching this class, but being away for a whole weekend had me a bit unnerved. If left to my own devices it would be easy to panic on a number of fronts. Yet, God knew better than I what was most important and what I needed. The time was precious with the kids and especially being with and talking about Jesus was invaluable. As I was walking the beach with the tide rolling in, I felt God\u2019s presence in that place. His message to me was a reminder that even when the world has been filled with upheaval, sin, and even evil, God has been present. God\u2019s created ocean has been changing tides, roaring with the break of the waves and depositing the shells and sharks teeth on the sand since creation.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    [1]<\/a> Joseph Bentley and Michael Toth, Exploring Wicked Problems: What They Are and Why They Are Important<\/em>, (Bloomington, IN, Archway Publishing, 2020), p. 49.<\/p>\n

    [2]<\/a> Bentley and Toth, p.34.<\/p>\n

    [3]<\/a> Bentley and Toth, p.75.<\/p>\n

    [4]<\/a> Bentley and Toth, p. 78.<\/p>\n

    [5]<\/a> Bentley and Toth, p. 54.<\/p>\n

    [6]<\/a> Bentley and Toth, pp. 55-57.<\/p>\n

    [7]<\/a> Gospels Matthew 26:11 and John 12:8.<\/p>\n

    [8]<\/a> Thomas Mack McLarty, Portland Seminary DC Advance, Sept. 2024.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Problems are a common part of living. Solving many of them may be relatively simple. They give people confidence to try new things, thinking that the strategies for problem X would likely work for other problems. In addition, problem solving has other benefits such as giving life meaning, building mental growth, stimulating thinking and helping […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":211,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","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":[2994,2995,2967],"class_list":["post-40850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-bentley","tag-toth","tag-dlgp03","cohort-dlgp03"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40850","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\/211"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40850"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40850\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40851,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40850\/revisions\/40851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40850"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40850"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40850"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}