Wicked Problems

"In this wise, wide-ranging, and wonderful work, Guru Madhavan catalogs the kinds of engineering?that have shaped the modern world--often not in the ways expected. And all too often such engineering is carried out by those who persist and persevere in?the background to maintain our world from collapsing, and?who are ignored without credit or reward, ?a point seldom appreciated by those who allocate funding and celebrate excellence.--Don Norman, former vice president of Apple and author of The Design of Everyday Thingsand Design for a Better World A thoughtful review of how engineers approach their most intractable problems.-- ""Kirkus"" A wonderful and energizing book.... It is an espresso machine for the imagination.--Rory Sutherland, author of Alchemy Profound, readable, and above all humane--a substantively and stylishly engineered book.--Tim Harford, author of The Data Detective In Wicked Problems, Guru Madhavan offers a primer on . . . problem framing that are intended to empower both engineers and non-engineers as engaged civic actors. . . Wicked Problems is a reminder that to be a force for good in the world, we need--and long have needed--the intellectual power developed through the breadth of a liberal education.--Donna Riley ""Science"" Wicked Problems combines the rigor of engineering with the wisdom of philosophy into a one-of-a-kind strategy guide.... Guru Madhavan has crafted a manual useful from the corporate boardroom to city hall.--Daniel H. Pink, author of The Power of Regret Guru Madhavan's extraordinarily creative ideas and imagination best categorize him as an engineer's engineer. His Wicked Problems provides an absorbing account of the world's complexities and ways to deal with them constructively and collectively.--Rita Colwell, former director of the National Science Foundation, winner of the National Medal of Science, author of A Lab of One's Own Inspired by Edwin Link's revolutionary work--from flight simulation to deep-sea diving--Guru Madhavan has effectively described the value of systems engineering for society. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Wicked Problems.--M. Stanley Whittingham, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry We all struggle with maddeningly complex challenges that defy our efforts to understand, simplify, or effectively address them. In Wicked Problems, Guru Madhavan puts them into focus and then prescribes a systems approach that can allow us to get our minds, arms, and communities around them. As entertaining as it is brilliant.--General Stanley McChrystal, US Army (Ret.), author of Risk: A User's Guide With fascinating and wide-ranging narratives, Wicked Problems highlights the engineering inventiveness and responsibility in tackling tough challenges, and what's essential for our common future--it should also make us all more mindful of what our everyday lives owe to ingenious engineers.--Martin Rees, UK astronomer royal, former president of the Royal Society, author of On the Future"