wicked-open-innovate

TOPS Symposium 2014

Sameer Vasta + Jerry KohMaRS Discovery District

wicked problems

• clear problem definition• single organization• regular leadership: implement existing solution

• clear and finite problem definition, but urgent need for solution

• need for new solutions, more permission for action and innovation

• directive leadership: demand for action and for someone taking control

• unclear problem definition, not finite• requires innovation and learning, as well as multiple

agencies• adaptive leadership: to create multi-stakeholders

environments and experiment

tame problem

crisis problem

wicked problem

Grint, Keith. "Problems, problems, problems: The social construction of ‘leadership’." Human relations 58, no. 11 (2005): 1467-1494.

wicked problems

wicked proble

m

No agreement on the nature of the problem, and certainly no clear view on what interventions might work to resolve it. (Rittel & Webber, 1973; Grint, 2005)

There is often a gap between the expressed values, beliefs and attitudes of a

community (or organization) and their behaviours in practice. (Heifetz, 1995)

There are multiple stakeholders involved, some of them are unknown or invisible

There are complex interdependencies, which may reveal or create new problems

when trying to solve aspects of the wicked problem

Normal solutions do not longer seem to work

You only understand the problem once you try solving it

social & economic challenges

public systems

com

ple

xit y

time

government society

difficult to attract and retain people, potential shortages

less public resources due to the financial crisis

operating in vertical structures

people better educated and informed,

and many want to be engaged

more private capital for social good

available than ever before

technology enables us to collaborate and perform complex tasks

horizontally

decrease of problem solving capacity

problem solving capacity record high

meeting system challenges with society

(not for society)

innovation

the implementation of a new or significantly improved

product (good or service), or process, a new marketing method, or a new organisational method in business

practices, workplace organisation or external relations.

Oslo Manual, OECD and Eurostat, 2007

innovation for wicked problems

with stakeholder

s

understand

with innovators

ideate

with early adopters

experiment

with early majority

implement

How many designers does it take to screw in a light bulb?

with stakeholder

s

understand

How many designers does it take to screw in a light bulb?

Why does it have to be a light bulb?Seriously … why?

with stakeholder

s

understand

start with the citizenask “stupid” questions (question assumptions)

listen + observemap the relations

look for uncertainties (opportunities for change)

with stakeholder

s

understand

How can we sell more cars?

with innovators

ideate

How can we sell more cars?

Design the best cars.

Manufacture the best quality cars.

Offer the most generous loans.(and give cars expiry dates)

with innovators

ideate

include users, experts & innovatorswild cards, outsiders and unusual

suspectsthink about scaling early

leverage assets in the whole system

with innovators

ideate

Use cases, scenariosMeasures + continuous evaluations

Prototypes(vs.)

Pilots

with early adopters

experiment

Matt Bannick & Paula Goldman. "Omidyar Network’s case for a sector-based approach to impact investing." Stanford Social Innovation Review, October, 2012.

with early majority

implement

meet wicked challengeswith open government

with society

So

Solutions

Po

Policy

CA

Capacity

H

Hypothesis

U

Understand

F

Frame

ST

Stakeholder

R

Research

Co

Co-create

V

Vision

I

Innovator

T

Test

PR

Prototype

Ev

Evidence

EA

Early Adopter

M

Market

SC

Scale

PC

Policy Change

EM

Early Majority

Periodic Table of Systems Change