Culture as a Wicked Problem

Understanding the role of culture and its impact on organizations is a long existing challenge. Organizations routinely wrestle with the meaning of culture and its subsequent effect on the future. This partially stems from the meaning of the word culture itself. It is easy to obscure the importance of culture because of often vague and conflicting definitions. Culture is both everywhere and in everything while also managing to feel slippery and elusive to pin down. This paradox is precisely why culture is best understood as a “wicked problem”.

A wicked problem is defined as one that is difficult or even impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory and changing conditions that make it difficult to recognize and grasp the scope of the issues. The problem is also usually interdependent in nature requiring attention in various aspects of the problems in order to effectively manage a solution. Although the original use of the term was the world of social planning it has found traction in design thinking. Jon Kolko of the Austin School of Design published Wicked Problems: Problems Worth Solving where he details the key characteristics that make up a wicked problem:

1. Wicked problems have no definitive formulation. The problem of poverty in Texas is grossly similar but discretely different from poverty in Nairobi, so no practical characteristics describe “poverty.”
2. It’s hard, maybe impossible, to measure or claim success with wicked problems because they bleed into one another, unlike the boundaries of traditional design problems that can be articulated or defined.
3. Solutions to wicked problems can be only good or bad, not true or false. There is no idealized end state to arrive at, and so approaches to wicked problems should be tractable ways to improve a situation rather than solve it.
4. There is no template to follow when tackling a wicked problem, although history may provide a guide. Teams that approach wicked problems must literally make things up as they go along.
5. There is always more than one explanation for a wicked problem, with the appropriateness of the explanation depending greatly on the individual perspective of the designer.
6. Every wicked problem is a symptom of another problem. The interconnected quality of socio-economic political systems illustrates how, for example, a change in education will cause new behavior in nutrition.
7. No mitigation strategy for a wicked problem has a definitive scientific test because humans invented wicked problems and science exists to understand natural phenomena.
8. Offering a “solution” to a wicked problem frequently is a “one shot” design effort because a significant intervention changes the design space enough to minimize the ability for trial and error.
9. Every wicked problem is unique.
10. Designers attempting to address a wicked problem must be fully responsible for their actions.

Culture manifests itself in many of the same ways as wicked problems. To have a better understanding of what is meant by culture I have found the definition provided by Grant McCracken, author of Chief Cultural Officer to be among the most useful. McCracken defines culture thusly, “Normally culture supplies the meanings and rules with which we understand and navigate the world. And normally, it does this invisibly, effortlessly, in real time. We don’t sense culture operating in us. It just does. It’s like language: it’s just there. But sometimes culture is a little shaky. It has found a world it can’t quite render or organize. And when that happens, wonderful things happen.” The invisibility that McCracken sites — the idea that we don’t sense culture operating on us- contributes to its wicked nature within organizations. How do you commit intellectual and financial resources to something that you scarcely recognize is happening? Before solving the wicked problem of culture it is necessary to take the steps I’ve outlined. First, settle on a definition that best encompasses the scope of culture in the same way I have offered McCracken’s. Second, acknowledge the complex (wicked) nature of complex and its ensuing interaction with organizations. A working framework provides a stronger jumping off point to tackle culture.

Culture should matter deeply to any organization that is committed to crafting a relevant future. Once philosophy is stripped away we are left with people and our relationship to one another. The “meanings and rules” that help us navigate the world are ultimately about the navigation between one another. The complexity and friction of relationships either makes or breaks an organization. If your people are unhappy or otherwise unsatisfied the mission of the organization suffers. Conversely, creating a culture that supports the mission of the company and provides an environment imbued with purpose is far more likely to thrive. Culture work is at the most basic deeply human work. There is no magic pill or lever to be pulled that can do the heavy lifting of understanding culture. When examined through the criteria of a wicked problem it’s easy to see how culture measures up. For example, many companies will cite diversity as important to their mission yet when measured my any meaningful metric they are failing at achieving a workforce that reflects that value. How could that be given the number of diversity initiatives, Chief Diversity Officers, conferences, panels, etc? Effective diversity encompasses hiring, retention, commitment of resources, managerial compensation and oversight, mentorship, implicit bias, etc. No one of them is sufficient to achieve the singular goal of having a diverse workforce — “every wicked problem is a symptom of another problem” — and a relevant cultural approach hinges on accepting that.

The interconnected nature of culture and its many offshoots make it essential that new approaches are developed and different perspectives actively nurtured. Relying on traditional marketers and creative’s to competently address culture challenges is not sufficient. Strategist and anthropologist are essential to untangling these wicked problems. Seeking and trusting a wide range of expertise is the opening salvo in addressing culture. Design thinking has traditionally sought one solution and/or a singular outcome. Culture is more fluid and ambiguous and potential solutions have to be evaluated through that lens. “One size fits all” thinking must be retired. Challenges that have their roots in culture are unlikely to have just one path and strategists/anthropologists that have de-siloed their thinking are better equipped to offer solutions.

I wrote that if you’re talking about ROI you’re not talking about culture and never has that been truer. ROI has become the quantitative crutch that allows companies to invoke culture for short-term goals while justifying their risk aversion. Just as wicked problems have no “definitive scientific test because humans invented wicked problems” culture has no threshold of optimum ROI before there can be engagement. ROI can measure many things but I would offer it’s a poor measurement of the unseen and the invisible threads that make culture so powerful and alluring. Culture drives excitement and enthusiasm in a significant way that is only dampened by the considerations of an often self-restraining ROI metric.

Ultimately culture must be evaluated in the context of both internal and external stimulus to a brand or organization. Taking a more comprehensive approach and allocating sufficient resources (intellectual/financial) creates a situation where culture can actually leverage the other strengths of the organization. Culture is similar to an iceberg in the sense that most of the mass (insights) is actually below the surface. Unfortunately, most organizations spend their time on what is above the surface and readily visible. And in the spirit of the seafaring example, it’s what’s below the surface that causes the damage. Just ask Pepsi, H&M and New Balance just to name a few who did not fully grasp the cultural landscape in which they operated. Organizations can no longer afford to underestimate or miscalculate the wicked nature and ensuing complexities of culture. The potential of organizations built on a foundation of culture is the future we so desperately need. Accepting culture, as a wicked problem will over the long-term lead to the richest rewards.