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| Criterion |  Decision Making Cynefin Workshop |  Systems Thinking Systems Mapping |  Systems Thinking Evaporating Cloud |  Decision Making Assumption Surfacing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When problems are unclear, chaotic, or only seemingly familiar, standard recipes fall short. A Cynefin Workshop sorts situations by the nature of their problem and connects them with matching action logic. | Systems Mapping arranges elements, relationships, and boundaries so a complex field becomes legible at a glance. The overview stabilizes the overall picture before detail work or steering begins. | The method makes visible why two seemingly incompatible demands arise and which assumption must be tested to resolve the conflict. | Plans often contain assumptions that were never openly stated and remain dangerous precisely because of that. Assumption Surfacing makes these silent premises visible and prioritizes which of them carry the initiative or could sink it. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | Medium | Medium | Low |
Timedifferent | 60-180 min | 1-3 h | 60-120 min | 45-90 min |
Participantsdifferent | 4-20 | 3-12 | 2-8 | 2-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop + async |
Outputdifferent | Cynefin Map, Domain-specific Actions, Sensemaking Notes | System Map, Dependencies, Leverage Points | Conflict Cloud, Assumption List, Breakthrough Ideas, Next Experiments | Assumption List, Critical Assumptions, Learning Plan |
Tagsno overlap | ComplexitySensemakingDecision | Systems thinkingMappingBoundariesChange | Theory of ConstraintsAssumptionsSystems thinking | AssumptionsRiskDecisionDiscovery |