Thursday, October 2. 9.15-16.00

When faced with wild problems, you can often lose your breath. There are many factors at play and people have different opinions. That's what makes the problem wild.

In order to tackle a wild problem, it's crucial that the actors involved have a common language for the problem and understand how wild it is, so you can start at the right place. In this module we focus on problem understanding. We also dive into the atlas of tools and how to handle uncertainty about the causes of wild problems with collective intelligence.

In the first module, you will be introduced to INVI's Wild Problem Model, developed in collaboration with practitioners and researchers at the University of Copenhagen and based on collective intelligence. The model will help you understand your wild problem in depth, create common ground with your collaborators and choose an appropriate approach. We answer:

• What characterizes your problem?

• Why is it difficult to manage?

• How does the problem challenge the methods and tools you know?

• How can you use collective intelligence to navigate uncertainty about the causes of the problem?

Wednesday, Oct. 22. 9:15 am - 4:00 pm

"Recognized, tried to solve, unsolved." This is how the Reform Commission describes the challenge of the 43,000 young people who are neither in employment nor in education. These young people often struggle with multiple complex challenges, and despite decades of reform policies and initiatives, no one has managed to help this group. As we'll see in this module of the masterclass, this problem - like many wild problems - is borne out of a lack of clarity about obvious solutions to the problem.

Because with wild problems, good solutions can rarely be calculated at a desk, decided by legislators, dictated by bosses or analyzed by experts. Instead, we need to take a trip to the lab. Exploring, developing and testing new solution hypotheses - together and across the implementation chain. Instead of rolling out a single chrome-plated reform across the country all at once, initiatives need to be pressure-tested continuously. And often this requires customization options - modules or bricks that can be combined in different ways to match the complexity of the problem and local differences. What is developed and rolled out at a school in Vejen may need a different look and feel to suit a school in Vesterbro.

In the third module of the masterclass, we take a closer look at modular co-creation and how you can combine drive and humility in developing, testing and scaling solutions to wild problems. Together we ask these three questions:

• How can you co-create and put together modules with relevant partners?

• How do you make room for continuous iteration and learning in the development and deployment of modular solutions?

• How can you use modular co-creation to develop solutions that can be adapted to local conditions without sacrificing cross-learning and scalability?

Tuesday, Nov. 11th 9:15 am - 4:00 pm

Where does the problem of climate change start and end, and who 'owns' the problem? Is it business, consumers, the municipalities' Technical and Environmental Administration, the government, the European Parliament, or society at large? And what about gender equality or labor shortages?

Wild problems often cut across sectors and levels and therefore cannot be tackled by one actor alone or with one solution. If a wicked problem is characterized by large scale, there is a need to bring together a wide range of actors who approach the problem from different angles.

In the second module, we delve into a new corner of the atlas of tools for wicked problems. We take a closer look at mission-driven portfolio management and how you can manage scale by mobilizing stakeholders around a common mission and working across existing boundaries:

• What is the mission for your problem?

• Who do you need to mobilize to achieve the mission?

• How are the many efforts managed in portfolios?

Monday, December 8th. 9:15 am - 4:00 pm

There are issues that we have known about for many years, but which are locked in because of strong interests and major differences in values between groups in society. In other words, there is pronounced conflict. Conflict is typically used as an engine in politically driven organizations: factions work to outline differences and create awareness and debate by drawing the lines of conflict clearly. Conflict is important for democratic dialog and negotiation of the issue. Differences in interests are often legitimate, for example in negotiations between employer and employee.

However, in wild problems, conflict can perpetuate and amplify the problem. It can lead to a narrow, contemporary focus on protecting interests and fighting for short-term gains for the benefit of the few. The problem can become so inflamed that it creates paralysis. One example is the climate crisis, where contemporary interests and large investments in fossil fuel infrastructure lead to tensions that make collective action difficult. To break the pattern, a shift in perspective is needed. We need new visions of the future and bold leadership that dares to empower the players who challenge the status quo.

In the fourth module, we explore systemic change and how you can create the conditions to move your problem to a new place by looking at structures, relationships and mental models. We will explore how radical change is initiated by social movements, levers, system keys, tipping points and a strengthening of the collective imagination in the belief in a better future. Together we investigate:

• What structures, relationships and mental models are locking the system around your wild problem?

• What 'system keys' can you use to unlock it?

• How can we take the long view and strengthen the collective imagination for a better future?

Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026 incl. dinner in the evening. 10:00-20:00

Location: Thoravej 29, Copenhagen

In the fifth and final module, we focus even more on your everyday life. Before the module, you will have prepared a pitch describing how you will integrate your new insights into your own practice or how you are already doing it.

You will have the opportunity to both present your own work to the rest of the team and learn from others' experiences. You will receive constructive criticism and renewed inspiration on how to work on your problem.

In addition to feedback from the team, you can also receive comments from a panel of three experienced policy entrepreneurs from the fund world, government and research community.

We think it takes 5-10 hours of preparation to create your pitch, which you can hopefully use at home in your own organization after the masterclass.

The module ends with a social program and dinner together.