Solutions for Wicked Problems in Flint

Yesterday our colleagues gave us an update on our Strategic Doing Flint Model. For seven years, a team has been transforming their neighborhoods with practical collaborations formed by following simple rules. 

Think for a moment about complex challenges — the wicked problems you face. They can paralyze us. We don’t know where to start. 

Now consider the wicked problems faced by the residents on Flint’s north side. 

• The water crisis is on-going; families live in the shadow of lead poisoning, and they’ve lost trust in their water. 

• Teenage homicides leave deep scars in the neighborhood with families torn apart. 

• Going to a grocery store is far more difficult. The chains long ago pulled out, and residents live in a food desert. 

• Deliberate policy decisions made in the past create today’s obstacles to better education, better housing, and a better job. 

Yet, amidst this despair, our core team brings hope to their neighborhoods. 

Why Strategic Doing? 

Because these simple, but not easy skills give people a path forward in confronting wicked problems. They build trust, and in networks trust powers innovation.

Here are Bob Brown’s slides from his presenttion

It’s amazing what a small team can do.

Strategic Doing and the 2d Curve: the Story of Flint from Ed Morrison