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Criterion
Paper illustration of a Polarity Map with two poles and four quadrants
Systems Thinking
Polarity Mapping
Paper illustration for Evaporating Cloud.
Systems Thinking
Evaporating Cloud
Anonymous individual judgments pass through feedback loops to form a distribution.
Decision Making
Delphi Method
Paper illustration of a decision table with criteria rows, weighted ratings, and a narrowly leading alternative.
Decision Making
Decision Matrix
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.The method makes visible why two seemingly incompatible demands arise and which assumption must be tested to resolve the conflict.When knowledge is distributed and direct dominance should be avoided, groups quickly fall under the sway of their opinion leaders. The Delphi Method gathers assessments iteratively and gradually brings expert judgments closer together.When several options collide with several criteria, comparison quickly becomes subjective. A Decision Matrix makes the trade-off visible and brings weighting, criteria, and options into a shared logic.
Complexitydifferent
MediumMediumHighMedium
Timedifferent
1-2 h60-120 min1-4 Wochen45-90 min
Participantsdifferent
3-122-86-30 Experten2-8
Formatdifferent
WorkshopWorkshopAsyncWorkshop + async
Outputdifferent
Polarity Map, Warning Signs, Balance ActionsConflict Cloud, Assumption List, Breakthrough Ideas, Next ExperimentsExpert Forecast, Consensus Range, Assumption NotesDecision Matrix, Scoring Rationale, Selected Option
Tagsno overlap
Systems thinkingTradeoffsLeadership
Theory of ConstraintsAssumptionsSystems thinking
ForecastingExpertsDecisionStrategy
DecisionCriteriaScoringTradeoffs
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