What makes a problem “wicked”?
A wicked problem is difficult to define and address because its causes are connected, stakeholders have different priorities, and there is no single solution that satisfies everyone.
You may know that something needs to change without knowing where to begin. Even agreeing on the problem can be a challenge - and your understanding may evolve as you explore it.
For businesses of every size, these challenges can sit behind stalled growth, disappointing technology investments, fragmented services, and transformation programmes that struggle to deliver.
How Digital Advantage can help
Our expertise in digital strategy, research, innovation, and capability development helps you to understand the challenge and act with greater confidence.
Our approach brings together five connected areas of support to help you understand complex business challenges and turn insight into practical action. We adapt these to your organisation’s needs, drawing on each as required and refining the way forward as evidence and understanding develop.
Clarify the real problem
We examine the evidence, question assumptions, and bring different perspectives together to establish what needs attention and why. We establish what is happening, why it matters, who is affected and question whether the presenting issue is a symptom of something deeper.
Understand the connections
We explore how people, processes, technology, data, and organisational priorities influence one another, identifying barriers and opportunities for improvement. We identify dependencies, constraints and potential points for intervention.
Explore and test the options
Through research, discovery, feasibility assessment, and evaluation, we help you assess potential approaches and test assumptions before making larger commitments. We develop possible approaches, assess their feasibility and value, and test critical assumptions.
Develop a practical roadmap
We translate findings into priorities, actions, and responsibilities, connecting immediate improvements with your longer-term business ambitions.
Build the capability to move forward
Through training, mentoring and support for digital leadership, we help your people develop the understanding, skills and confidence needed to put change into practice. We equip people with the skills, leadership, confidence and support needed to implement the roadmap and sustain improvements.
What’s your wicked problem?
Whether you lead a growing SME or a larger organisation, bring us the challenge you’re struggling to untangle. You don’t need a fully defined brief to start the conversation.
Let’s find a practical way forward.
Get in touch: enquiries@digitaladvantage.uk