Article: Taming the waters: strategies to domesticate the wicked problems of water resource management Journal: International Journal of Water (IJW) 2005 Vol.3 No.1 pp.1 - 17 Abstract: Increasing demands on water resource organisations are explored in three large US river basins: the Columbia River, Southern California, and the Potomac River Basin/Chesapeake Bay in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Interviews with staff of water management organisations revealed a strong preference for strategies that consolidate resources and over-build systems in order to provide reliable, low-cost, and safe water services. As challenges to these strategies emerge and as problems shift from tame to wicked, organisations develop strategies that spread the risks through cooperation. When domesticating strategies fail, some organisations have moved to local and adaptive negotiation of solutions with affected parties. The three management approaches reflect a general trend away from infrastructure-intensive strategies to social interaction-intensive strategies. Instead of managing the uncertainty of physical structures and organised routines, water resource agencies are beginning to ||manage|| ambiguous relationships with partners who have conflicting demands and needs. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: Taming the waters: strategies to domesticate the wicked problems of water resource management

Authors: Denise Lach, Steve Rayner, Helen Ingram

Addresses: Center for Water and Environmental Sustainability, 210 Strand Ag Hall, Oregon State University, OR 97331, USA. ' James Martin Institute for Science and Civilization Said Business School, University of Oxford, OX1 IHP, UK. ' Social Ecology of Peace and International Cooperation, Political Science, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA

Abstract: Increasing demands on water resource organisations are explored in three large US river basins: the Columbia River, Southern California, and the Potomac River Basin/Chesapeake Bay in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Interviews with staff of water management organisations revealed a strong preference for strategies that consolidate resources and over-build systems in order to provide reliable, low-cost, and safe water services. As challenges to these strategies emerge and as problems shift from tame to wicked, organisations develop strategies that spread the risks through cooperation. When domesticating strategies fail, some organisations have moved to local and adaptive negotiation of solutions with affected parties. The three management approaches reflect a general trend away from infrastructure-intensive strategies to social interaction-intensive strategies. Instead of managing the uncertainty of physical structures and organised routines, water resource agencies are beginning to ||manage|| ambiguous relationships with partners who have conflicting demands and needs.

Keywords: complex problems; change management; water management; wicked problems; USA; United States; water resource management; collaboration; cooperation; strategic management; social interaction; negotiation; risk spreading.

DOI: 10.1504/IJW.2005.007156

International Journal of Water, 2005 Vol.3 No.1, pp.1 - 17

Published online: 31 May 2005 *

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Title: Taming the waters: strategies to domesticate the wicked problems of water resource management

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