Business agility is the new buzz word. The new elixir everyone wants a dab into. There are many frameworks already towards that. However if you really dig deeper from a systems thinking / complexity science perspective, you see the limitations of these linear thinking approaches.
First and foremost, business agility is a problem that clearly falls in the complex domain. It is not even a single problem in the first place though. It requires dealing with a whole range of very complex problems. Many of those problems are even difficult to articulate as different parts of the organization would understand them differently. Additionally, there is disagreement on the causes of the problem and the ways to address them. These kind of problems are often called “wicked” problems”.
….a wicked problem is a problem that is difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognize. It refers to an idea or problem that cannot be fixed, where there is no single solution to the problem; and “wicked” denotes resistance to resolution, rather than evil.
Wikipedia
Tame problems
The best way to understand a wicked problem is to understand first what a ‘tame’ problem is. Tame problems are not simple problems either. They can indeed be very complex themselves and require an empirical approach towards resolution. Tame problems can be clearly defined and solution worked through. For example achieving business agility in an IT organization would require to increase the level of engineering competency. It can be clearly articulated and a specific approach like Test driven development can be explored. It would be one of the many solutions that would be needed but the main point being the problem and solution can be clearly defined and implemented.
Contrast that to the problem of bringing in an agile mindset in the leadership. Without an agile mindset in leadership, you cannot really achieve business agility. We will use this subset , a “simpler” part of our bigger wicked problem to understand the characteristics of wicked problems.
Wicked problems
Difficult to clearly define
Achieving an agile mindset as a problem definition is too broad to achieve meaningful and concrete steps towards it. Agile mindset also means different things to different people. You would struggle to arrive at a consensus on it. This is a key characteristic of wicked problems.
Many inter-dependencies and often multi causal
The variety of parameters that may comprise an agile mindset and their inter-relationships add to the challenge of clearly defining the problem. The agile manifesto mentions working software over comprehensive documentation. This beautiful statement is obvious in one way. However it can be interpreted and twisted in unfathomable ways by stakeholders who may have conflicting goals depending on what their priorities are. It never is going to be black or white.
Attempts to address wicked problems often lead to unforeseen consequences
Given the multi causal and interdependent nature of wicked problems, measures introduced to address one problem could lead to unforeseen consequences in other areas. You might introduce a fantastic course to provide a good perspective on agile mindset to stakeholders. The added knowledge can be used to strive towards true agility. However it could also be used to make sure that everyone is now displaying politically correct behavior. True agility remains elusive.
Not stable problems
Since the problem cannot be clearly defined and is dependent on stakeholder interpretation as well, it is quite possible that it could be a moving target. The definition of what comprises an agile mindset can change. For example when key stakeholders driving that dialogue change or the organization’s business priorities change in the rapidly evolving business ecosystem.
No clear solution
The problem cannot be clearly defined and is not stable, so the no definitive solutions can be developed towards it. There is no right or wrong solution. Additionally if the solution indeed addressed the problem is often impossible to correlate given that its multi causal.
Socially complex
While agile mindset actually changes at an individual level, the ecosystem has a huge influence on the behavior and progress. The social complexity rather than technical complexity of the problem prevents from using traditional problem solving or project management approaches.
Behavioral changes required
The solutions to many wicked problems involve changing the behavior and/or gaining the commitment of individual stakeholders. In case of ushering in agile mindset, the individual is at the heart of this culture change. Then it is displayed at an organizational level because of the collective actions of many individuals. Identifying solutions especially sustainable ones is not trivial.
Business agility needs non-linear solutions
Linear and traditional techniques of problem solving cannot tackle wicked problems. The linear process starts with understanding and defining the problem by gathering and analyzing data and consulting with stakeholders. All of this leading towards a preferred solution with supposedly clear outcomes and an implementation plan towards those outcomes.
This is where the wicked problems starts to show their wickedness. Conflicting problem definitions, disagreements and buy-in challenges over solutions from different stakeholders. The social complexity only make the linear approach more unrealistic and unsustainable.
Linear approaches fundamentally are based on the premise that these are ordered systems. However, these are not. We are attempting to bring business agility in a set of complex adaptive systems. A holistic approach that understands and appreciates business agility from the perspective of complex adaptive system is crucial. Instead of looking for linear solutions and frameworks that are more representative of engineering systems, we need to look more towards natural and ecological systems for answers. That definitely has more potential than force fitting a framework in the hopes of achieving business agility.
References
Tackling wicked problems : A public policy perspective | Australian Public Service Commission