Wicked Problems: Flexible Characterizations and Visual Representations

Abstract

The term “wicked problem” is used to describe a wide range of challenges that defy definition or resolution. These descriptions often reference Rittel and Webber’s 1973 publication (Policy Sciences, 4:2), and often repeat the list of ten properties they proposed. However, rather than taking any set of properties as definitive, I argue that wickedness is better captured by a wider range of possible characteristics, including those shared with other problem classes, such as those labelled “messy,” “ill-defined” and “complex.” Also, rather than viewing wickedness as an objective property of certain problems, I argue that it is better viewed as a subjective aspect of how problems are experienced. Problems can be seen as wicked in different ways and to different extents, and this can vary between individuals, groups and contexts. How we think about, talk about and address these differences can be improved by visually representing problems in a way that flexibly captures their subjectivity, relativity and dynamics. To illustrate this, some problem characterisation radar plots are presented here, showing how property selection, grouping and scoring can convey wickedness. This supports discussion of the benefits that visual methods can bring to stakeholder engagement, and also the possible limitations of those methods.