Wicked Problems
Finding novel solutions to wicked problems is not easy, but it is not impossible.
Wicked problems are, by their very nature, tortuous, complex and fraught with competing demands and pressures.
The challenge of bringing greater circularity to any economy is one such wicked problem. In a society often characterised by rapacious consumption, short-termism, stubborn self-interest, and an economy often predicated on those elements as the driving forces, the ability to bring about a significant move towards greater circularity is a three-pipe problem, as Sherlock Holmes might have described it.
Many established frameworks can go some way in helping grapple with wicked problems, be it system or design thinking or even adaptive management. But sometimes, it can also be the case that there may be lessons to be learned from elsewhere that offer perhaps an inkling as to where we can find the seeds of novel solutions. In service design and design thinking, finding ideas from what might otherwise seem unconnected fields can lead to significant insight that sparks a solution.
Suppose we accept that part of the wickedness of the circularity problem emerges from the specific circumstances and conditions of the economy that make bringing about change a multi-factor challenge. We might find some solutions if we took away some of those constraints either notionally or practically so as to free up our thinking.
Much of the Global South has grappled with the circularity challenge for many years. However, in this case, this is often out of necessity and not aspiration. The context and circumstances that shape their distinctive responses are a product of a set of conditions often different from ours. Societal factors, regulatory frameworks, stark inequalities, and novel financial imperatives all create distinctive set of circumstances and approaches to addressing the challenge.
Whilst we don't imply this is the source of all solutions, there are undoubtedly some novel approaches that are worthy of examination.
Is it reasonable that by examining the case of the global south we could find lessons, ideas, approaches and frameworks that help us reimagine our approach to developing circular initiatives? Could it, for example, provide us with pointers to other external factors we might seek to change to make our own circularity journey more viable?
Novel, innovative thinking, as exemplified by the practice of Jugaad, is a valuable tool in powering innovative thinking and is an approach that is applicable in our own context. Community-based microfinance might drive a different approach to funding initiatives. Could a more holistic iterative model exemplified by some waste picker groups be a key to unlocking a set of novel solutions?
We think so. We think there is much to be learned from the global south. We think there is insight from societies sufficiently different from our own that allow us to reimagine wicked problems in such a way that we might stumble upon a novel solution applicable at home.
Join us on a journey of discovery where you can experience novel ideas in a different context and find ways to untie wicked solutions at home.