Dealing with complexity and uncertaintyIn natural resource management

And other wicked problems’ initiatives

EAU4Food LPA-CoP facilitation training workshopILRI Ethiopia, Addis Ababa

13-15 August 2012

Ewen Le Borgne

Overview

1. Development (research) is mostly about complexity… What is complexity?

2. What does development (research) too often look like in comparison?

3. What are the implications of complexity for the way we work? How to work around complexity?

1. Development (research) is mostly about complexity

…What is complexity?Credits: Michael Heiss

1. Development (research) is mostly about complexity

Complex issues…• Natural resource management,• Climate change,• Poverty,• Service delivery,• Social change…• …are all complex…• …they relate to…

…wicked problems

Credits: Julian Burton

1. Development (research) is mostly about complexity

What is a wicked problem?

A problem that is difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognize. The term ‘wicked’ is used, not in the sense of evil, but rather its resistant to resolution.

Moreover, because of complex interdependencies, the effort to solve one aspect of a wicked problem may reveal or create other problems.

1. Development (research) is mostly about complexity

Characteristics of a wicked problem?

Highly integrated

Rooted in local & global contexts

Evolving over time

Going through occasional abrupt changes

Difficult or impossible to solve

1. Development (research) is mostly about complexity – what is complexity?

Inter-dependency

Credits: Harold Jarche

1. Development (research) is mostly about complexity – what is complexity?

Fractals / patterns

Credits: Jakyakody200lk

1. Development (research) is mostly about complexity – what is complexity?

Complex adaptive systems

“Systems that have a large numbers of components, often called agents, that interact and adapt or learn.”

Emergence

Self-organizationFeedback loops

Unpredictability

Credits: Trojan Mice

3. What does development (research) too often look like in comparison?

3. What does development (research) too often look like in comparison?

Short lived

Uninspired (not our vision)Disconnected from realities

Imposed from outside

Centralized & heavily bureaucratic

Monitored blindly

Obsessed with silver bullets

Obsessed with scaling up

Obsessed with change

Credits: Howard Lake

3. What does development (research) too often look like in comparison?

Not prepared for change!!!Not prepared for complexity!

4. What are the implications of complexity for the way we work?

What are the implications of complexity for the way we work?

Plan with uncertainty• Check your assumptions

Credits: Superwoman project

What are the implications of complexity for the way we work?

Understand the bigger picture

Credits: InfoNet

What are the implications of complexity for the way we work?

Drive by shared vision and co-creation• Visualize that wicked problem•Motivate people around that bigger picture•Connect forces and capacities•Co-create an agenda for action•Carry out joint activities•Let people self-organise

Empower!!!Credits: ILRI

What are the implications of complexity for the way we work?

Know your network• Institutions

•Individuals

•Interdependencies

What are the implications of complexity for the way we work?

Embed your work in the context

•

Credits: Strawberry Sue

What are the implications of complexity for the way we work?

Know how to respond•To simple, complicated, complex and chaotic problems and issues…

What are the implications of complexity for the way we work?

Document and reflect!

Credits: Adam Cohn

What are the implications of complexity for the way we work?

Connect all the nodes to the main grid•Become the complex adaptive system

Credits: ILRI

What are the implications of complexity for the way we work?

Multi-stakeholder processes can be great for this•Recognising multiple knowledges•Their contributions•Their capacities•Their needs•Their biases

Credits: Valerie Brown

What are the implications of complexity for the way we work?

But they have to work as one collective

Credits: Valerie Brown

The presentation has a Creative Commons licence. You are free to re-use or distribute this work, provided credit is given to ILRI.

More information

http://www.eau4food.infoe.leborgne@cgiar.org

Better lives through livestock

ilri.org