Wicked Problems for Policy Making

We learnt about Wicked Problems in Design Thinking class.

Complex problems like Education and Healthcare are good examples of Wicked problems.
Wicked problems are inherently complex , requires multi disciplinary approach and has 10 distinct characteristics 

Climate crisis will also fall under the category of wicked problem because the articulation is not straightforward and there can't be one simple or final solution.

I love this quote by Albert Einstein -

It's not that I'am so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer.  - Albert Einstein

I have been researching ,speaking, articulating, lending voice  and stayed with few problems since many years . One of them is the problem of Gender Equality. 

108 Years: Wait for Gender Equality Gets Longer as Women’s Share of Workforce, Politics Drops

Networks are suggested as a resource for tackling wicked problems in this Nonprofit Quarterly reprint. 

What are common wicked problems? How are wicked problems different from other problems?

In their original work, Rittel and Webber suggested that wicked problems are typically those pertaining to governmental, social, or policy planning. Examples of wicked problems that have been addressed in scholarly literature include poverty, urban renewal, school curriculum design, education, environmental and natural resources policy.

In the Digital World that we live in, Regulatory Framework by Governments around Data privacy would also be categorised as  wicked problem

It's an open secret that FAANG companies ( Facebook , Apple, Amazon , Netflix, Google) are collecting lot of our personal data. We need Govt intervention for robust #Privacy policies regarding our Personal #data to prevent misuse. #PublicPolicy #India @GoI_MeitY

— Ruchi 🏳️‍🌈🌈 (@rucsb) August 10, 2019

Read Bill and Melinda Gate Annual letter 2019 to understand some wicked problems 

I discovered Trillion Dollar Coach fm Bill Gates tweets.His #books reccos r superb.For people who ponder & care deeply abt solving world's complex problems , Open Annual Letter by Bill & Melinda Gates is just the right Food for Thought #ProblemSolvers https://t.co/1t4qeYR0EX

— Ruchi 🏳️‍🌈🌈 (@rucsb) August 10, 2019

What wicked problems you are working on ? Who are the stakeholders involved ? 

How do you go about identifying the problem ? What are the solutions proposed ? 

Who are the sponsors ? 

Would love to hear your views on Wicked Problems in India. 

HR Value to Organisations and India Economy

I consider myself privileged to be a key member of the SHRM Network and one of the Top 10 HR Influencer recognised by SHRM .

 My observation after attending HR Conferences - 

At the risk of sounding tad bit skeptical -  Where is the voice of  key stakeholders in HR Conferences -  #GigWorkers, #Women Leaders who face gender discrimination, #LGBT,  #Employees who are your Brand Ambassadors, GenZ, Millennials, Techies, Learners,  #People with different abilities et al ? 

For whom we in HR design policies , programs , practices ? For whom we in HR buy HR technology ?  Employee Experience, People are our Best Assets sound empty words, unless  diverse voices of key stakeholders are also included . HR Conferences serve as great Echo Chambers in a way,  providing great,  hi touch , human experience for All -  Sponsors, Vendors, Startups, Delegates, Speakers  ! 

My big idea to SHRM is to invite and focus on SMEs for SHRM Annual Conference in October 2019 . SMEs are the ones who need HR Advisory and Consulting and Insights from HR , HRTech Conferences most for Productivity gains .  In an Economic paper , interesting insight came up that One Quarter of GDP is Persuasion.  

One can establish value of SHRM Contribution and Impact on SMEs , if we ensure survey data is collected from SME sector prior to SHRM Event and Post the intervention.  

Such an intervention with SME Focus would be embraced and welcomed by Modi Government. MSME is regarded to be Growth Engine of Indian Economy. 

HR tech adoption results in time, cost, productivity gains for organisations: Report

In very simple economic terms, Capital and Technology investments Lead to Productivity gains, which lead to Jobs growth , which further enables MSMEs to export more, demand and consumption of goods and services rises enabling firms and Economy to grow for further leading to a virtuous economic cycle .   

( Source - A Guest Lecture by Subramanian Kri , Chief Economic Advisor, India ) 

How a Superior HR Tech drives Experience, Productivity and Performance

Economic Survey 2019: The curious case of Indian firms starting small & staying small

The Economic Survey says even Mexico does far better on this dimension than India.

Comparing employment and productivity with firm age in three countries: U.S., Mexico and India (Hseih and Klenow, 2014)the Survey found that the average employment level for 40-year old enterprises in the U.S. was more than seven times that of the employment when the enterprise is newly set up. 

A similar tale unfolds with productivity as well when we compare these three countries for the effect of aging of firms on productivity. The average productivity level for 40-year old enterprises in the U.S. was more than four times that of the productivity of an enterprise that is newly set up. In contrast, the average productivity level for 40-year old firms in India was only 60 per cent greater than the productivity of an enterprise that is newly set up. Thus, once they survive for forty year .. 

Read the ETB Report on MSME in detail here https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/sme-sector/economic-survey-2019-the-curious-case-of-indian-firms-starting-small-staying-small/articleshow/70069672.cms 

I believe , MSME sector is where HR Startups, HRTech Startups, HR Consultants and HR Advisory can add most value and maximum Impact.

Nourishing dwarfs to become giants for MSME growth: Economic Survey 2019

I will be at SHRM Annual 2019 Conference , Look forward to meeting HR Friends, Best minds in the Industry and getting exposed to new ideas and insights at the Event.