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Criterion
Paper illustration for Accountability Ladder
Operations
Accountability Ladder
Rich Picture workspace showing the question, observations, and next decision.
Systems Thinking
Rich Picture
How Might We
Innovation
How Might We
Paper illustration of a Polarity Map with two poles and four quadrants
Systems Thinking
Polarity Mapping
Purposedifferent
With defensive reactions to problems, the method shifts the view from justification to ownership. It makes visible which reaction stage a person or team is currently stuck on.A Rich Picture brings an unclear situation onto a shared drawing. It captures actors, tensions, information flows, and blind spots before the team jumps to solutions too early.With a stuck problem carrying many implicit assumptions, the method translates observations into open, workable questions. It sharpens the problem frame without pre-thinking the solution, turning frustration or fuzziness into a search space with clear direction.Polarity Mapping makes tensions between two opposing poles tangible, such as standardization and adaptation or control and autonomy. The method guards against making apparent either-or decisions prematurely.
Complexitydifferent
LowLowLowMedium
Timedifferent
20-45 min30-90 min30–45 min1-2 h
Participantsdifferent
1-82-101-103-12
Formatdifferent
Workshop + asyncWorkshopWorkshop + asyncWorkshop
Outputdifferent
Ownership Reflection, Action Commitment, Coaching NotesRich Picture, Problem Framing NotesHMW Questions, Challenge Framing, Idea PromptsPolarity Map, Warning Signs, Balance Actions
Tagsno overlap
ResponsibilityLeadershipTeam
Systems thinkingSoft systemsFramingVisualization
FramingOpportunityIdeationQuestions
Systems thinkingTradeoffsLeadership
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