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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking CATWOE Analysis |  Systems Thinking Futures Wheel |  Innovation How Might We |
|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | CATWOE structures a problem from six viewpoints and prevents too narrow a view of the situation. Different experiences of the system become comparably discussable this way. | The Futures Wheel helps explore the consequences of a decision, a trend, or a strategic move in a structured way. It makes visible which first, second, and third-order effects could arise from an event. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 60-120 min | 30–45 min |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 3-10 | 1-10 |
Formatsame | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | CATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, Constraints | Futures Wheel, Consequence Chains, Strategic Signals | HMW Questions, Challenge Framing, Idea Prompts |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders | ForesightSystems thinkingSignals | FramingOpportunityIdeationQuestions |
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Methods with strong topical overlap with the current selection, not yet in the comparison.
