Unintended consequences are outcomes of an action that are not intended or foreseen. Most such consequences are undesirable.
Being an armchair philosopher is far too easy in business and international development. We often think that the world’s problems are simple and that we have the answers.
Unintended consequences (sometimes called unanticipated consequences or unforeseen consequences) always result from our actions. Sometimes, these are beneficial or a minor annoyance, but often, they are worse than the problem we are trying to solve.
Konrad J. Friedemann defines the law of unintended consequences as
The proposition that every undertaking, however well-intentioned, is generally accompanied by unforeseen repercussions that can overshadow the principal endeavor.
- You provide mosquito nets to protect children from malaria, but are used as fishing nets.
- You stop textile manufacturers in developing countries from employing young girls but force them into prostitution.
- And more subtly, you reward children for studying but punish them.
The list goes on. In a complex world, we must always stop and think and anticipate the unintended consequences of our actions. So, talking, taking advice, conducting small pilot experiments, and probing and observing before committing to a significant change makes sense.
Unintended consequences | Edward TennerUnintended consequences of innovation
Early in our conversation, I agreed with Karl-Erik that innovation was mainly responsible for the world’s current mess. He replied, “Well if innovation got us into this mess, what makes us think that more innovation will get us out of it?”
The problem with innovation is that it often has long-term unintended and unforeseen consequences. I am sure, for example, that the early technological pioneers of the Industrial Revolution did not think about the possibility of global warming for one moment.
This paper on Karl-Erik’s Unintended and Undesirable Consequences of Innovation examines this issue.
Interestingly, Karl-Erik’s research into Aboriginal culture when he lived in Australia resulted in an earlier book of his, Travelling Lightly, which made him think about innovation’s downside.
He learned that the Australian Aborigines knew the advantages and risks of innovation well and understood the darker side — the environmental and societal consequences. Due to this awareness and taking responsibility for their community, they managed to sustain their civilization for 40,000 years or more.
Unintended consequences get to the heart of why you never really understand an adaptive problem until you have solved it.
Problems morph and “solutions” often point to deeper problems.
In social life, as in nature, we are walking on a trampoline.
Every inroad reconfigures the environment we tread on.
Resources
- Wikipedia: Unintended consequences
- Article: 10 Fascinating Examples of Unintended Consequences
Posts that link to this post
- In a Complex World How Do You Minimize, Maximize or Optimize Anything? You can't!
- There Are No Solutions to Complex Challenges Only an endless series of adaptive responses
- Technical Challenges and Complex Adaptive Challenges Distinguishing between straightforward and complex challenges
- Complex Systems ** Many parts interacting with each other in multiple ways
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