Article: A leadership approach to solving "wicked" procurement challenges

An interview with Dr Lorraine Finlay, Australia's Human Rights Commissioner

A “wicked” problem refers to a complex or extremely challenging issue with no apparent solution. From climate change to modern slavery, AI ethics to inequality, wicked problems are characterised by a difficulty to measure progress and the danger of being overwhelmed by the scale of the challenge.

Quest Events spoke with Dr Lorraine Finlay, Human Rights Commissioner, for her perspective on how procurement and public sector leaders can best tackle wicked problems.

Dr Finlay is uniquely qualified to speak about this issue: “At the end of the day, if a problem is easy, it doesn’t end up with us at the Commission”, she says. “So, every problem we’re dealing with is ‘wicked’ in some way. There’s always some intractability to it.”

What advice would you give to a procurement leader facing an apparently overwhelming challenge?

The sense we’re getting at the moment in Human Rights is there are so many challenges, and they are so large in nature, that people do feel really overwhelmed. The temptation is to retreat from them entirely because they’re just too big. When this happens, people may fail to see how they, as an individual, can make a difference.

One of the real struggles we have at the Commission is trying to find that balance between keeping the idealism about wanting to tackle these problems in their entirety, while being very pragmatic about the impact that you can have, and adjusting your expectations accordingly.

Take modern slavery, an area where procurement has the potential to make an enormous impact. As a starting point, we want to see modern slavery eradicated. But if that’s the KPI used to judge success in the area, you will become overwhelmed very quickly and lose sight of the positive impact you can have on individuals.

We need to recognise success along the journey. The work that we’re doing today can lead to systemic change, but remembering it has a real impact for individuals in the short and medium term is a way of helping us not to be overwhelmed by the challenges. 

Another approach is to break down a giant challenge into distinct steps. Being able to say that this is something we definitely can achieve - if it’s broken down into a manageable size, it’s just another step.

Finally, we need to recognise that no single person can solve wicked problems on their own. Procurement leaders need to be open to embracing collaboration, seeking partnerships, and looking at creative ways to make a difference rather than feeling as though the weight of the challenge is entirely on their shoulders.

Would you describe AI as a wicked challenge?  

I think the fascinating thing about the AI challenge is that the traditional Human Rights principles are still absolutely your starting point, but there's so much uncertainty around what the practical implications might be.

In a sense, you don't entirely know what the problem is that you're trying to solve, but you do know it needs to be addressed now. If you wait until it emerges in its entirety, too much harm will have been done already.

Part of the leadership approach in innovative areas like AI should involve recognising the need to act immediately, using established principles and touchpoints, but staying open to the fact that things might develop in unexpected ways.

For example, just prior to my starting this role, the Human Rights Commission produced a landmark report on technology and human rights. It was really comprehensive, but although it tackled AI, it came before the real emergence of Generative AI in late 2022. Yet when you read the report, the principles on which it’s based are still 100% accurate and relevant.

This shows that in terms of attempting to keep up with the pace of change, there’s a need to avoid getting so caught up in the latest developments that you lose sight of your organisation’s core principles.

For procurement professionals considering a major investment in an AI solution, the best advice is to retain a firm focus on your organisation’s established policies and principles. This means evaluating suppliers on their adherence to ethical guidelines, being proactive around risk management (particularly around data and responsible use of technology), and considering the long-term implications of the decisions made today. 

What sort of leadership traits are necessary for tackling wicked challenges in procurement?

I believe traditional leadership skills are still entirely valid and useful in procurement; decisiveness, determination, and being able to make clear decisions. But increasingly, skills around resilience are incredibly important because the speed at which things move has accelerated considerably in recent years. And the breadth, or reach, of decision-making has exploded because everything is now global. Resilience on that front is really important, particularly when there are so many moving parts of so many different things.

Procurement leaders should have a clear understanding of what they’re trying to achieve and a clear path forward. This means being prepared to be flexible and avoiding being diverted or thrown by things that shouldn’t be distractions. 


We’re increasingly seeing the need to bring the human element to leadership. To me, leadership isn't about being out in front and having everybody else follow. It’s about the whole team all working together to steer in the same direction – and that requires having everybody there with you.

Recognise that you need to listen to other people and take into account different views. You need to be aware of the ways that different people will be impacted by procurement decisions; and that will differ depending on who they are and where they come from. Embracing a diversity of perspective and opinion means recognising there is not always one answer to things, and that reasonable people can disagree on the best approach to take. Not everybody is going to get everything that they want in every sourcing outcome, but leaders need to make sure that everybody feels they've been listened to, that their perspectives have been incorporated, and that the reasons behind decisions are understood.

How can public sector procurement leaders move faster to keep up with the pace of change?

A common criticism of the public service is that it moves too slowly, particularly in light of the accelerated pace of change. But I have a different perspective on this. 

I believe one of the advantages of the public service is that slowing things down a bit is actually really beneficial. In the rush to innovate and speed things up, I think we need to be careful not to lose the qualities of the public service that are so advantageous when it comes to sound evidence-based decision making. As frustrating as it can be when you're trying to reach a decision, having to consult with a whole range of people, take everything into account, collect the evidence, and take an extra moment to justify those decisions in public procurement can be a very good thing. 


Talking more broadly about the public sector, something we need to be aware of is the danger of delaying action when faced with a wicked challenge. AI is a clear example where there is a need to act now, and certainly the Commission has said there is a need for legal guardrails and we want to see those constructed in a considered, evidence-based way. But that doesn't mean we should step back and do nothing while they're being built. 

We need to look at the role of the public service in terms of reaching out to the private sector and encouraging those small steps along the way to make sure that even while the legal guardrails aren’t yet there, we as a country are not just letting things run wild. It’s about using all of the policy tools that are currently available, and not relying on the outcome of a law being passed at some unspecified future date.

In terms of these laws, we need to keep them broad to avoid obsolescence. Policies that aim to address harm should not necessarily be attached to particular forms of technology (such as Generative AI), because tech-specific rules will inevitably be obsolete before they come into force.

What do you believe is the greatest challenge currently facing the public service?

In a broad sense, possibly the greatest challenge facing the public service since the COVID pandemic has been rebuilding trust. The withdrawal of trust from some of our key institutions, a lack of reliance or trust in experts, and the lack of willingness to place faith in government is – I would go so far as to say – an existential problem for the public service. There is a questioning of the value of the public service that perhaps hasn't been there in the past.

We need to have a shared understanding of who we are as a country, what we stand for, and what our future looks like. Without having that shared understanding, it becomes really hard for the public service to approach these “wicked” problems because it's not clear what their role is, or the mandate they have from the Australian people.

Don’t miss Lorraine Finlay at WiPSC 2025

Lorraine Finlay will join an impressive line-up of speakers for an in-person discussion about solving public sector challenges through leadership excellence at Women in Procurement and Supply Chain 2025.

View the agenda or the full speaker lineup.