Wicked Problems-3: Not True or False, but Good or Bad

Wicked problems aren’t true-or-false — they’re judged good-or-bad.

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🔍 What It Means

Wicked problems don’t have definitive solutions. They aren’t solved by logic alone — they are judged, contested, and experienced differently by different groups. A solution that looks good to Finance might look disastrous to Operations. What works under one CEO might be scrapped by the next.

Success is never universal, only conditional. It depends on who is looking, when, and with what criteria.

⚙️ Why It Matters in Business and Policy

• Conflict intensifies when groups measure success differently.
• KPI churn creates confusion as metrics are redefined or disputed.
• Politics override data when perception of success matters more than results.
• Short-term gains vanish when leadership changes or priorities shift.

📊 Real-World Examples

✅ Carbon Reduction Targets in Manufacturing
A European auto supplier set ambitious carbon goals. Finance praised cost savings from efficiency, while Marketing emphasized brand reputation. Operations, however, saw rising costs and delays. Each group judged the same initiative as either a success or a failure.

❌ U.S. Healthcare Reform
The Affordable Care Act was hailed as a breakthrough in expanding access. Yet some stakeholders judged it a failure due to rising premiums, while others saw it as a lifeline. The “truth” of its success was entirely dependent on perspective.

📍 ERP Implementations
In many large ERP rollouts, executives declare success because the system went live. Meanwhile, frontline staff struggle with disrupted workflows, and IT sees mounting support costs. The system is both “done” and “broken” at the same time — depending on who you ask.

📋 Checklist: Do You Have This Problem?

• Stakeholders disagree on whether the last “solution” was successful
• Metrics and KPIs are frequently redefined or disputed
• “Success” feels more like politics than measurement

⚠️ If you checked even one — you have a wicked problem.

🛠 How to Navigate It

• Co-design metrics: Involve all affected groups in defining what counts as success.
• Define “good enough”: Set criteria that allow iteration rather than chasing perfection.
• Frame the story: Communicate success in ways that build legitimacy, not just numbers.

Wicked Problems • Attribute 3 – Good-or-Bad, Not True-or-False

Back to the Full List of Wicked Problem Attributes
Something Wicked This Way Comes: A Wicked Problem.

Other Wicked Problem Posts

1. No definitive formulation of a wicked problem
2. No stopping rule
3. Solutions are not true-or-false, but better-or-worse
4. No immediate and no ultimate test of a solution
5. Every solution is a one-shot operation (no trial-and-error learning)
6. No enumerable or exhaustively describable set of solutions
7. Every wicked problem is essentially unique
8. Every wicked problem can be considered a symptom of another problem
9. The choice of explanation determines the resolution
10. Planners have no right to be wrong

Resources and Further Reading

For readers who want to dive deeper into the origins and evolution of wicked problems, here are key resources and further reading:

Dilemmas in a General Theory of Planning — Horst Rittel & Melvin Webber’s 1973 paper where the concept of wicked problems and their 10 attributes was first defined.