Leading in Wicked Times: A Radical Shift to Inquiry, Humility, and Fairness

Abstract

Humanity is facing an increasing number of wicked problems. The COVID pandemic is a telling example. Wicked problems are novel, complex, without a single “right” answer. They provide an ultimate test of leadership, as distinct from management. We suggest that effective leadership in the face of wicked problems calls for a set of virtues that differ from those traditionally associated with “strong” leadership. These virtues also need to be balanced as they may at prima facie appear contradictory. They include confidence and humility, decisiveness and curiosity, honesty and empathy, courage and patience. We discuss specific behaviors through which leaders can enact these virtues. We emphasize that especially in the face of wicked problems, distinct leadership behaviors are required at each of the successive stages of effective decision making. These stages include framing the problem, exploring alternatives, “taking” a decision, executing the decision, and learning from the decision outcomes. Fairness permeates the five-stage process. The proposed five-stage framework for effective leadership in crisis equally applies to problems that are not wicked. We thus provide a common framework for both crisis and more “normal” times, bridging leadership and management.