Leadership in wicked times


Wicked problems involve complex dynamics and are seemingly impossible to solve effectively. They require new leadership approaches.

Image: Losonsky/Shutterstock
This extraordinary year has brought to the fore an unprecedented number of wicked problems—like Covid-19 or systemic racism. Global warming, developing over decades, arguably is the biggest one. Unlike tame problems which have known solutions, wicked problems generate a fountain of unknowns, involve complex social dynamics that are difficult to comprehend, and are seemingly impossible to solve effectively.
Wicked problems have a terrifying side: winners and losers are selected more by luck and wickedness. Like in the Covid pandemic, racism or poverty, outcomes depend on the hand you are dealt, not only by your own actions. Unfairness rei
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