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| Criterion |  Innovation Lotus Blossom |  Facilitation Alignment Mapping |  Innovation Brainstorming |  Facilitation Consensus Workshop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | When a central question feels too large, the method breaks it into neighboring topic fields with their own depth of ideation. It holds structure and openness at the same time, so adjacent perspectives don't get lost. This grows an idea space out of a core problem. | 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. | When a team faces an open question with many obvious directions, the method first creates breadth instead of premature commitment. It separates idea flow from evaluation and makes lines of thought visible, creating a pool for selection and further development. | When a group needs a solid decision without outvoting individual factions, a Consensus Workshop creates a negotiable common ground. It makes agreement, reservations, and open tensions discussable at the same time. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Low | Medium |
Timedifferent | 45-90 min | 1-2 h | 30-60 min | 1-3 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-10 | 4-12 | 4-12 | 5-30 |
Formatsame | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Lotus Diagram, Idea Themes, Shortlist | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions | Idea pool, Theme clusters, Shortlist | Consensus Clusters, Theme Titles, Priority Areas |
Tagsno overlap | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityDivergenceWorkshop | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation | BrainstormingIdeationCreativityWorkshopDivergence | FacilitationConsensusWorkshopAlignment |