Wicked Problems and Gordian Knots: an Increased Risk… of the Tsunami Effect in Modern Governance Cover Image

Wicked Problems and Gordian Knots: an Increased Risk… of the Tsunami Effect in Modern Governance
Wicked Problems and Gordian Knots: an Increased Risk… of the Tsunami Effect in Modern Governance

Author(s): Wojtek Lamentowicz
Subject(s): Governance, Public Administration
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
Keywords: problem solving; hard cases in strategy making; wicked problems; Gordian Knots;

Summary/Abstract: My purpose is to explain why it is so frequent that policy makers both public and private fail in their efforts to solve problems. The main question is why educated and experienced persons cannot achieve their goals by reasonable decisions and actions. Among many causes and reasons (spontaneous changes of postmodern societies, limits to rationality of decision makers), If shall focus on two types of problems – wicked problems and Gordian Knots. The very characteristics of these types of problems are conducive to Tsunami Effect, to complete incapability of designing strategies which are efficient enough. Gordian knot is defined here as a wicked problem having some specific features and causes. Notions of Tsunami Effect and Gordian Knot are regarded as an innovative contribution to the general theory of strategy and the theory of decision making.

  • Issue Year: 2017
  • Issue No: 3
  • Page Range: 205-235
  • Page Count: 31
  • Language: English