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| Criterion | ![]() Systems Thinking Polarity Mapping | ![]() Operations Causal Factor Analysis | ![]() Operations Accountability Ladder | ![]() Systems Thinking Current Reality Tree |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | For an event with a complicated course, the method breaks down the contributing factors along the timeline. It shows how conditions, decisions, and reactions together produce a course of events. | 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 Current Reality Tree condenses many symptoms into a few causal chains. The method makes visible which core problems drive several negative effects at once. |
Complexitydifferent | Medium | High | Low | High |
Timedifferent | 1-2 h | 2-6 h | 20-45 min | 2-6 h |
Participantsdifferent | 3-12 | 3-10 | 1-8 | 3-8 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Polarity Map, Warning Signs, Balance Actions | Event Timeline, Causal Factor Chart, Cause List, Corrective Actions | Ownership Reflection, Action Commitment, Coaching Notes | Current Reality Tree, Core Problems, Intervention Ideas |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingTradeoffsLeadership | CausalityIncidentRoot causeTimeline | ResponsibilityLeadershipTeam | Systems thinkingRoot causeConstraintsCausality |



