Framework for Tackling Wicked Government Problems

One of the most difficult things to figure out in government is that of jurisdiction. President Obama memorably stated in his 2011 State of the Union address that a salmon swimming in freshwater is handled by the Department of the Interior, while one in saltwater is handled by Commerce. While that line is certainly more memorable, he gave a much more striking example just before it – there are 12 different agencies that deal with exports. What that means is anyone trying to tackle an export-related problem has to align 12 different stakeholders. Efforts like these often end in failure and reinforce the idea that government can’t get anything done.

All hope is not lost, however, as Jackson Nickerson and Ron Sanders discuss in their new book. Government executives typically rely on inter-agency task forces to bring stakeholders together to solve complex problems. The issue with these task forces is that each individual agency has their own definition of the problem and their own take on how to solve it. In the initial task force meetings competing solutions get tossed around first, turf wars ensue, and progress grinds to a halt. The chance of a successful outcome is severely diminished at this point, and it can all be avoided with one simple step.

The key to success lies in coming to the table not with solutions but with ideas for root causes of the problem. If everyone formulates the problem together you eliminate that “us” vs. “them” mentality. All stakeholders now own the problem because they all took part in framing it, and once people own a problem they are much more willing to work together to come to a solution. That’s not to say that coming to that solution will be easy, but a major obstacle to success is removed by defining the problem together.

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