Design a Way Out of Wickedness

Abstract

There is a growing understanding that sustainable development is only achievable through integration into our economic systems. Sustainability does not have to be traded off against profit or business success, but sustainability can be a driver for business, this is called green growth. The Ministry of Economic Affairs aims to promote green growth. She has identified and is actively supporting several front runners that are ahead in this change to green growth. It was hoped that these companies would lead the way for potential followers. Despite some good examples, the Ministry of Economic Affairs has identified that most businesses are still stuck at start. They are aware of the urgency to move to sustainable development and green growth but find it difficult to adopt it in their specific situation. The initial goal of this graduation project was to design a tool box to support businesses in setting their first steps towards a green and growing business. An in-depth research into green growth, the governmental organisations aiming to promote it and their relation to businesses, revealed a complex network of problems. The initial problem was merely a symptom of a complex network of problems, in other words a wicked problem. A wicked problem is a problem that is extremely difficult to deal with because it is contradictory, the requirements are fluent and it is incomplete. Trying to tame the problem will not solve it and in most cases will even aggravate it. This thesis puts forward a new approach of how to set the first steps in dealing with a wicked problem. The complexity of the problem was mapped out. This map revealed a missing link between two key elements: natural capitalism and innovation. They were brought together in a matrix. The matrix revealed the full spectrum of oppertunities for green growth, but also highlighted the current limited focus of the Ministry. Furthermore, this matrix could be used to create shared understanding of the problem within the Ministry, and become a boundary object for problem solving. A boundary object is an object all stakeholders can refer to, which supports a shared understanding. The interpretation of this object has a wide scope, from sketches, to 3d models, to role playing. Two mean literature findings highlighted that the first step in dealing with wicked problems is to create shared understanding and that this can be effectively achieved through the use of boundary objects. The new approach proposed in this thesis of designing a boundary object may be a step towards a more generic design solution to deal with wicked problems. This new approach might particular be interesting for governmental organisations who are often the owners of potentially wicked problems. Recognizing that one is dealing with a wicked problem and selecting the most appropriate approach of how to deal with a wicked problem will significantly improve the quality of the outcome.