Beginning the process of untangling

One of the biggest challenges with complex issues is to know where to start and how far to go. With so much entanglement — between systems and the root causes — there is no clear pathway to take. The minute you start exploring connections and links you face the prospect of boiling the ocean. And yet to ignore these links places you at risk of superficial solutions and unintended consequences.

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It calls for a clear intention, critical thinking and a framework within which you can set a scope that achieves the right balance while being able to handle further extension as necessary and appropriate.

Our Guiding Principles for Complex Challenges

1. Be clear what issue you are addressing and establish any limitations or non negotiable areas. Know what you are taking on and what you want to achieve. Then set the right expectations with stakeholders
2. Don’t compromise on shaping the context and identifying the Dynamics. You may decide you can’t tackle everything that this presents but at least you have a broad landscape and can assess implications of actions, as well as creating a canvas that can evolve.
3. Keep iterating with the forensics — never take the first analysis of data as the answer. In fact never assume you have the answer. The more you explore the more you will see.
4. Look for patterns and themes. They create structure and that structure helps you to see what might have otherwise been hidden. When you find them, look some more.
5. Respect all information. There is (nearly) always something to discover and learn. It may mean ploughing through lengthy documents that appear to have no structure and in some cases contain little value. But sometimes their use only becomes clear after you have learned something more.
6. Put information into perspective. Take time to understand why it was produced and what the author was hoping to achieve. And then connect that to the broader context. Seek out as many perspectives as possible so that you remain objective. There are always many points of view and you don’t want to focus on the ones that simply reinforce your own beliefs.

Photo by Martino Pietropoli on Unsplash