Some problems simply defy our attempts to engage or solve them - no matter what we do they always seem to be changing. Perhaps our efforts help to address some aspects whilst making others worse - these problems are not simply complex they are ‘wicked’.
Sadly, the bad news is that wicked problems are, by definition, impossible to solve. This makes life especially tough for managers that have to deal with them - they can work on addressing some of the consequences of the problems (symptoms if you like) but efforts to find permanent solutions pass us by.
I’ve been fascinated with problems of this sort for some time and in 2019 published a book with some colleagues called The Management of Wicked Problems in Health and Social Care