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