LSE: Public lectures and events Wicked problems: how to engineer a better world
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Oct 22, 2024 Dr. Guru Madhavan, a senior director at the National Academy of Engineering and author specializing in systems thinking, discusses tackling complex societal challenges, labeled as wicked problems. He emphasizes the need for engineers to engage with social sciences and details how problems can be categorized into hard, soft, and messy types. Using examples like the Boston molasses disaster and Ed Link's flight simulator, he illustrates how cultural practices and organizational design have significant impacts. Madhavan advocates for multidisciplinary collaboration and the integration of human factors into civic design.
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Engineering Is Socially Embedded
- Engineering must be judged by reality and includes social and cultural dimensions, not just technology.
- Treat engineering as a civic practice entwined with sociology and behavior.
Boston Molasses Disaster Example
- Guru narrates the 1919 Boston molasses tank disaster to show how technical neglect causes social catastrophe.
- The tank failed because thin walls and ignored tests doubled stress beyond safe limits.
Vulnerabilities Are Multi-Dimensional
- Vulnerabilities are both mechanical and moral, arising from technical choices and social failures.
- Hard, soft, and messy problem types interact to create wicked problems.
