By John O’Neill · Published on DoDifferentNow.com
“Wicked problems are not evil — just profoundly resistant to tidy solutions.”
— Horst Rittel, Design Theorist
Enterprise leaders often seek certainty in a world full of ambiguity. Yet the most strategic challenges we face — digital transformation, ERP modernization, sustainable operations — are not tame problems with clear solutions. They are wicked problems: messy, interdependent, politically charged, and impossible to “solve” in the traditional sense.
In this post, I explore the 10 characteristics of wicked problems, how they surface in business strategy, and how SAP’s rollout of its HANA in-memory platform illustrates both the pitfalls and potential of navigating such challenges. Then I propose what SAP (and others) should do to lead through wickedness rather than around it.
🔟 What Makes a Problem “Wicked”?
Design theorists Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber identified ten characteristics of wicked problems in 1973. Here’s a business-friendly breakdown:
| Property | What It Means in Business |
|---|---|
| No definitive formulation | You can’t pin down a single definition — the problem shifts as you explore it. |
| No stopping rule | There’s no final solution — only ongoing improvement. |
| Good-or-bad, not true-or-false | Success is subjective and stakeholder-dependent. |
| No immediate or ultimate test | Effects unfold over years. You can’t pilot a wicked solution like an app. |
| One-shot operations | Actions (like ERP migrations) have irreversible impact. |
| No exhaustive list of solutions | Options are endless and constantly changing. |
| Essentially unique | No two organizations face the exact same version of the problem. |
| Symptom of other problems | Strategic challenges are often interconnected. |
| Framing defines action | How you define the problem shapes what you do. |
| No right to be wrong | Leaders are held accountable for outcomes, even amid uncertainty. |
💼 Wicked Problems in the Enterprise
Common examples:
- “Should we move to the cloud or modernize on-prem?”
- “How do we retain talent in a hybrid workforce?”
- “Why are our ERP costs rising with no clear ROI?”
- “How do we measure ESG without greenwashing?”
These aren’t engineering puzzles. They’re systemic dilemmas that touch strategy, technology, people, and politics. And they require a different toolkit.
🧠 Case Study: SAP and the Wickedness of HANA
When SAP introduced its HANA in-memory database, it was tackling a wicked problem:
How can we reinvent our platform for speed and innovation without losing our massive base of legacy ERP customers or ceding cloud leadership to competitors?
🔍 Wicked Properties in Action
- No stopping rule: HANA evolved into a platform and eventually a cloud-first ecosystem.
- Good-or-bad: Reception varied — some saw ROI, others saw disruption and expense.
- Framing shapes action: Internally: innovation. Externally: obligation.
- No right to be wrong: SAP bet its ERP future on HANA — the stakes were enormous.
✅ What SAP Did Right
- Reimagined the data layer for in-memory performance.
- Invested in developer ecosystems and certification programs.
- Anchored migration within S/4HANA as a platform strategy.
❌ Where It Struggled
- Migration complexity and infrastructure cost alienated some users.
- Value communication skewed too technical, not business-outcome focused.
- Many customers felt pushed rather than empowered.
🔧 What SAP (and You) Should Do When the Problem Is Wicked
🎯 1.
Reframe the Narrative: From Migration Mandates to Business Momentum
Weak narrative: “You must migrate to S/4HANA before 2027.”
Stronger narrative: “Your competitors are unlocking real-time insights, predictive analytics, and AI-ready architectures.”
SAP should stop selling databases and deadlines, and start enabling strategic agility. Highlight outcomes: faster financial close, predictive maintenance, ESG visibility — not “HANA under the hood.”
✅ Example: A global consumer goods firm accelerated SKU rationalization across markets using HANA-powered dashboards — reframing “compliance” as competitive speed.
👥 2.
Co-Create with Customers: Don’t Deliver Solutions — Build Platforms
HANA isn’t one-size-fits-all. Neither are wicked problems.
SAP should expand its industry-specific innovation labs and foster co-innovation: manufacturing, utilities, public sector, etc. Customers become partners in design, not just targets for rollout.
✅ Example: In Brazil, SAP co-developed a public finance solution using BTP (Business Technology Platform) with local agencies — a model for iterative policy+tech synergy.
🔄 3.
Embrace Iteration: Shift from Big Bang to Safe Steps
Wicked problems don’t reward bold declarations. They reward learning.
SAP should champion modular adoption paths, enabling businesses to move in sprints not leaps: Central Finance first. Then Group Reporting. Then production planning. Provide safe sandboxes for legacy integration testing.
✅ Example: A European auto parts maker migrated to S/4HANA in phases — beginning with procurement and finance — allowing in-house teams to upskill gradually while maintaining operations.
🧭 4.
Align on Values, Not Just Architecture
Customers don’t just want a faster system — they want alignment with their purpose and constraints.
SAP must be explicit: every feature, every migration choice comes with trade-offs. Be transparent about what will simplify, what will break, and what will evolve.
✅ Example: When SAP offered sustainability and circular economy KPIs baked into S/4HANA for Chemicals, it turned a technical migration into a board-level ESG enabler.
🌍 5.
Link Tech to Strategic Impact — Beyond Performance
No CIO gets budget for “HANA.” They get it for AI, resilience, ESG, and market adaptability.
HANA should be positioned not just as fast, but future-proof — underpinning AI readiness, regulatory compliance, and supply chain agility.
✅ Example: During COVID-19, SAP customers with HANA-enabled visibility adapted faster to supply chain shocks — especially in pharmaceuticals and food logistics — proving the link between in-memory data and operational resilience.
🌱 Final Thought: Leading Through the Fog
Wicked problems aren’t resolved with a roadmap. They’re navigated through:
- 📍 Clear outcome narratives
- 🤝 Collaborative design
- 🔁 Iterative pathways
- 🧠 Strategic transparency
- 📈 Business-aligned technology
SAP’s opportunity isn’t to enforce HANA — it’s to invite enterprises into a composable, trusted, real-time future.
And for any leader: the more complex the challenge, the more vital it is to collaborate, reframe, and learn out loud.
Want a visual toolkit or wicked problem audit template for your own business? Reach out or subscribe to the Do Different Newsletter.
Links to other posts in this Series
Wicked Problems: An introduction
Wicked Wicked Problems 2: Case Study 2: System Migrations