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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Current Reality Tree |  Facilitation Six Thinking Hats |  Facilitation Stakeholder Mapping |  Facilitation Alignment Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | A Current Reality Tree condenses many symptoms into a few causal chains. The method makes visible which core problems drive several negative effects at once. | When a topic gets stuck too quickly in the same thinking mode, Six Thinking Hats deliberately separates the perspectives. This means facts, risks, creativity, and emotional signals get worked through one after another instead of mixed together. | When an initiative depends on many people, interests, and power dynamics, Stakeholder Mapping systematically orders the environment. It shows who influences, who is affected, and where relationship management or safeguarding matters first. | When several people work toward one goal but hold different mental maps, Alignment Mapping makes the discrepancies visible. It arranges goals, assumptions, and priorities so shared direction becomes verifiable. |
Complexitydifferent | High | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 2-6 h | 45-90 min | 60–90 min | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-8 | 4-12 | 2-8 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas | Perspective Notes, Decision Inputs, Action Items | Stakeholder Map, Engagement Plan, Risk Notes | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality | FacilitationOptionsDecision | StakeholdersAlignmentFacilitationChange | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |