2 weeks Ago
Greensboro has a wicked problem. It doesn't involve evil or sadistic people, although a perusal of the latest news indicates we have our fair share. Our wicked problem is centered around the role, purpose and value of Greensboro's Interactive Resource Center (IRC), which provides services for the unhoused.
Wicked problems have no clear solution. They are riddled with confl icting belief systems and values among diverse stakeholders. Climate change and the Palestinian/Israeli confl ict are classic examples.
In Greensboro, the cost, degree of moral obligation, level of service, safety, neighborhood impact and geographic boundaries are all components of the wicked problem stimulated by the IRC. The notion of wicked problems was popularized by urban planners in 1973. I was introduced to it much later by a French computer executive looking for consulting help.
When I told him I didn't do technical consulting, he helped me understand the nature of wicked problems. Engineering
.. "But I have a much more complex issue — a wicked problem," he continued, explaining motivational, political and value diff erences among national cultures in his international organization.
"We can't unravel diverse cultural values," he explained, "but I'm hoping we can ease the stress." The stress of Greensboro's problem is caused by the wicked nature of homelessness itself. The IRC's clients have diff ering, sometimes overlapping needs that cut across multiple aspects of our society.
Some are addicts, others display symptoms of schizophrenia or other mental illnesses, some lack the will and energy to rejoin normal society, and others are just working hard to deal with and overcome some bad breaks. Compounding the problem are an excessive number of police calls, a recent shooting in the IRC's parking lot resulting in a client's death and confl ict with city leaders over welcoming versus controlling security policies, hours of operation and scope of service. Fragmented and dysfunctional communication between the IRC and the City Council has resulted in reduced funding and elimination of its high-demand 24/7 operating hours.
So, what can be done? The first step is to understand that, unlike the shallow and unrealistic campaign promises we've recently been subjected to, there are no simple solutions to complex issues. Wicked problems can sometimes be managed but never fully resolved. The City Council's need for order, security and cost control and IRC leadership's need for fl exibility, customer service and compassion, must be managed through negotiation and compromise.
Both must accept that the problem will continue to evolve and identify trade-off s that each can live with. I learned from working with the Frenchman that the most workable solution involved resolving the initial issues and then creating a format for ongoing dialogue. Wicked problem facilitation involves finding a path through mistrust, blaming and role confl ict and is best accomplished with the help of an outsider or someone with involvement and credibility on both sides.
Hopefully this is taking place because, despite their diff erences, Greensboro and the IRC need each other. Homelessness is a plague in our nation's urban centers. Although its blatant ugliness is not nearly as visible in Greensboro as in places like San Francisco, you don't have to look under bridges or in off -road patches of scrub vegetation to see it.
A drive through any of our primary roads will reveal people of all ages, often making puppy-dog eye contact while holding signs asking for money. If there is no traffic, I have some loose bills, and am in the right mood, I sometimes comply. But whether I stop or not, I always wonder where they sleep and can't escape the haunting thought, "There but for the grace of God, stand I.
" Regardless of the scope and boundaries of additional services, no responsible citizen can argue with the IRC providing a place for the homeless to take a shower, wash clothes, get mail and experience a temporary respite from those streets. David Noer, [email protected] , writes a monthly column on leadership, organizational behavior and community issues Get local news delivered to your inbox!.
