Wicked Wednesdays (build skill in solving complex problems)

This Month's Theme (3.26.25): The Cost of Food

Are you curious about what factors contribute to recent record food costs, or interested in connecting with others and being part of the solution? Join us as we analyze the “problem landscape” from a holistic systems-thinking perspective and design responsible solutions. As we work on wicked problems like this, we build mental muscles responsible for seeing complexity and taming complexity, and can put these skills to work in other contexts.

The world we live in is full of wicked problems; political extremism, wealth inequality, war, climate change... the list goes on. Cynicism, apathy, and toxic positivity are all deeply unsatisfying responses to the world we live in, so we built an alternative: Wicked Wednesdays.

wicked = extremely complex.

At Wicked Wednesdays we come together to learn and practice working on wicked problems because:

1. We build mental muscle in overcoming our brain’s habits of oversimplification.
2. We are building individual and collective capacity to work skillfully and responsibly with wicked problems.
3. We build fulfilling new connections with others that are working to make their corner of society a better place.

Agenda:

1. Welcome & Orientation: If a wicked problem has not been selected in advance, we'll choose one here. Newcomers get a brief orientation to the tools & processes we'll be using.
2. Mapping the Problem Landscape: We make it easy for you to learn and apply skills in systems modeling to properly capture the inherent complexity of the problem.
3. Holistic Solution Mapping: We guide you through the process of multiple sets of solution criteria and multiple possible solutions. You'll learn to optimize for short term action, as well as for long term vision and reduction of unintended side effects.