There is a certain category of problems that are far too complex, entrenched, and unique to have a single, simple solution. We refer to these as “wicked problems.” They tend to have multiple causes and impacts (financial, cultural, environmental, etc.). They often shift and transform, persist across time and geography, and have disparate impacts, such that what works to mitigate one set of impacts in a particular setting might not work elsewhere, or may require additional intervention. As a result, they cannot be solved by one entity alone.
Characteristics of Wicked Problems
Design theorists Horst Rittel and Melvin Webber came up with the term "wicked problems" to describe a class of complex challenges associated with planning and social policy problems. These problems are all around us, and we navigate them every day in a variety of contexts, including education, gerontology and elder care, nuclear armament, housing and homelessness, natural disasters, artificial intelligence, and criminal justice, and many more. Wicked problems exist across a variety of fields, including each of ours (history, cybersecurity, and organizational leadership).
Understanding wicked problems makes us better citizens and more valuable members of any organization because we are less likely to accept seemingly easy answers that will ultimately not solve tangled problems, and may in fact create greater problems. The ability to wrestle with complexity, and a willingness to engage with problems that require careful, critical thinking are high value attributes in a competitive job market.
Rittel and Webber identified 10 characteristics common to all wicked problems:
- There is no universal formulation of a wicked problem.
- There is no stop mechanism in wicked problems; they persist.
- Rather than true or false, solutions to wicked problems are considered better vs. worse or satisfying vs. good enough. In other words, don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.
- Solutions to wicked problems generate ripple effects that may unfold days or years after implementation, so there may be no way to evaluate them fully.
- All solutions have the potential to generate potentially irreversible consequences.
- Wicked problems have no set methods for addressing them and might not have a complete set of solutions.
- Every wicked problem is unique.
- Every wicked problem is a symptom of another problem.
- Every wicked problem can be explained in many ways, and the explanation you choose shapes how you try to solve it.
- Because solutions have real-world impact (better or worse), those who design and implement solutions to wicked problems are responsible for their effects.
In all situations, implementation is key. This is about change management and ensuring that as many scenarios as possible are explored in navigating interconnected systems, multiple stakeholders, and unintended consequences.
Because wicked problems cannot be addressed through theory alone, understanding them requires seeing how they play out in real-world contexts. As faculty members from UMGC’s School of Integrative and Professional Studies, School of Cybersecurity and Information Technology, and School of Business, we’re sharing examples of wicked problems from each of our industries to demonstrate what wicked problems look like and how, no matter which fields they touch, they share fundamental elements.
Example 1: Copper Mining and Its Communities as a Wicked Problem
To flesh this out a bit, we can explore copper mining in Butte, Montana. Copper surrounds us in virtually every indoor setting because it is used in electrical conductivity. It is a necessary component to modern life. Mining and the industries that support and depend on it provide jobs and community cohesion. Historically, miners have been at the forefront of the fight for labor rights, including the right to varying degrees of safety as they work.
In Butte, the chemical residue of copper extraction has resulted in a lake so toxic that birds die when they land there, requiring efforts by the current mine owners to keep birds away. According to a study by Zhang Yanan, et al, incidents of brain and other nervous system cancers in Butte are four to six times higher than in other areas of the state.
The damage to people and birds that mining causes is a wicked problem. Characteristics 1, 2, and 7 apply to this problem: It is complex, persistent, and unique. Using characteristics 8 and 9, the harm is a symptom of another problem—the environmental pollution caused by mining—and there are many ways to explain it. For example, the mine owners define the problem as birds dying on the lake. To solve that problem, they deploy noise makers to keep birds away. On the other hand, those who define the problem as environmental toxicity tend to see cleaning up the toxic lake as the solution.
Using characteristics 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10, and the current solution of a water treatment plant cleaning seven million gallons of water daily, this particular solution is good but also always at risk of losing funding or of a landslide or other natural disaster. We do not know the long term ripple effects of this solution, which may or may not be reversible. There are no instructions for dealing with this problem, and the many collaborators working to sustain this solution are responsible for the good and bad results even if they did not create the problem.
Example 2: Decoding the Complexity: Wicked Problems in the Digital Age
We often distinguish between wicked problems and tame problems—those with clear definitions and repeatable solutions. In our digital ecosystem, wicked problems aren't just bugs to be patched; they are systemic challenges where every solution generates new complexities.
The Moving Target of Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is the quintessential wicked problem. Unlike traditional engineering, where a bridge is built on solid ground, the foundation of digital defense is constantly shifting and actively attacked. There is no final state of "secure." Every advancement in threat detection is met by a corresponding evolution in adversarial tactics, often powered by the same AI tools used for defense. Because the environment is globally interconnected, a technical solution in one area—such as mandatory multi-factor authentication—can create unforeseen friction in productivity or shift attacks toward less secure social engineering vectors.
The Paradox of AI and Data Science
As we integrate artificial intelligence and machine learning into the fabric of society, we encounter a new breed of wickedness: the black box of unintended consequences. In data science, solving predictive accuracy may inadvertently erode privacy or introduce systemic bias. Because AI models are trained on historical data, they often mirror societal flaws.
With the rise of agentic AI, autonomous systems now reason and act independently, making the root cause of a failure nearly impossible to isolate. In these scenarios, correctness becomes subjective, and the stakes involve fundamental human equity.
Why IT Solutions Aren't Always Solved
In IT infrastructure, we face what is known as the legacy trap. Upgrading a massive, interconnected system to improve efficiency often breaks down dependencies that have existed for decades. The solution to modernize can result in a catastrophic loss of institutional knowledge or service continuity.
Ultimately, addressing wicked problems in the real world requires a shift from linear thinking (find the bug, fix the bug) to systems thinking, or even an out-of-the-box approach. We must acknowledge that:
- The problem is never fully understood until a solution is attempted.
- Solutions are not binarily right or wrong, but rather better or worse for specific stakeholders.
- The environment functions like a quantum state; rather than being "on" (1) or "off" (0), a solution exists in a complex superposition of both states at once.
- Every intervention has consequences that will ripple through the network.
“Wicked thinking” is a necessary discipline for the quantum-enabled world of tomorrow. Managing the persistent complexities of today’s digital ecosystems requires it.
Example 3: Inclusive Work Environments and the Wicked Problem of Accommodation
We often think of workplace accommodation as a compliance issue governed by policy and law. In reality, creating an inclusive work culture for employees who qualify for accommodations is a textbook wicked problem. As Rittel and Webber argued, wicked problems resist definitive formulation, have no stopping rule, and produce solutions that are “good or bad” rather than true or false. Inclusive workplace culture exhibits all of these characteristics.
- No definitive formulation: Is the problem about disability access? Manager training? Productivity standards? Bias? Organizational design? Psychological safety? Each framing produces a different solution. If we define the issue narrowly as legal compliance, the solution becomes documentation and HR processes. If we define it as leadership capacity, the solution becomes cultural transformation.
- No stopping rule: There is no moment when an organization can declare itself fully inclusive. Workforce demographics change. Norms evolve. Technologies shift. Leadership transitions. Inclusion is not an endpoint but an ongoing adaptive practice.
- Solutions are context-dependent: Interventions create trade-offs. Video recordings may enable asynchronous participation yet raise data privacy concerns. Flexible work arrangements can support chronic conditions while prompting workload questions. Standardized fairness policies may protect consistency but unintentionally suppress personalization.
The Neurodiversity Lens: From Deficit to Design
In The Power of Neurodiversity, Thomas Armstrong argues that neurological variation represents human diversity that creates value when environments are structured for different ways of thinking. This aligns with Camelia Fawzy and Brenda Shore’s systems-based framework in The Inclusive Management Strategy. When management strategy values cognitive diversity, difference shifts from accommodation to contribution.
These arguments reinforce why this is a wicked problem. Cognitive diversity intersects with productivity norms; strengths may appear as deficits; structures privilege certain processing styles; attempts to standardize fairness suppress difference.
Policy Change Is Not Culture Change
Policies formalize expectations; culture determines behavior. Research in The Inclusive Management Strategy argues that inclusion must be engineered into management systems.
From Compliance to Wicked Thinking
The problem cannot be solved at the same level at which it is defined. Wicked thinking requires adaptive learning, shared ownership, and recognition that interventions create ripple effects. The most resilient systems are adaptable—and adaptability begins with culture.
The three examples above might make wicked problems seem overwhelming, but that is one reason why collaboration is key. Every wicked problem requires a variety of perspectives, expertise, resources, and skills. Collaboration; particularly with solution-oriented, positive people; also helps us persist when challenges arise (as they inevitably will). We keep each other going.
How You Can Contribute to Addressing Wicked Problems
Numerous studies show that we live in an age of increasing social isolation among people. Wicked problems pose not just challenges but opportunities for meaningful engagement with other people as we seek solutions to shared problems.
Go Local. Think broadly.
Debra Lam, Chief Innovation and Performance Officer for the City of Pittsburgh and Founding Executive Director of the Partnership for Inclusive Innovation, argues that solving wicked problems is best done by focusing on local problems and broadening your definition of "who can contribute to the solution.”
Tackling Wicked Problems
When you find yourself frustrated by a persistent problem in your community, as you start exploring possibilities to solve it, think beyond the most obvious contacts to include: Who is active in your community? Who gets things done? Who thinks originally? Who seems to know everything and everyone? Who are the experts in the various systems causing the problem? Who is likely to be affected by potential solutions?
Identifying the people, perspectives, and systems involved is an essential starting point. Meaningful change also depends on how you prepare yourself to engage with them. Learning and skill-development become tools not for postponing action, but for strengthening your lifelong impact as you work toward solutions.
Whether you pursue a certificate in project management or bachelor's degree in environmental health & safety, homeland security, history (which teaches systems thinking), or an MBA, or whatever fuels your curiosity, you can find ways to enhance and broaden your ability to contribute. That doesn’t mean waiting to contribute until you have all the skills you think you need. There will always be more to learn. Learning is a lifelong pursuit, driven by our human interests, and our desire to solve problems—even wicked ones.
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