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| Criterion | ![]() Systems Thinking Rich Picture | ![]() Facilitation Fishbowl Discussion | ![]() Systems Thinking CATWOE Analysis | ![]() Facilitation World Café |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | A Rich Picture brings an unclear situation onto a shared drawing. It captures actors, tensions, information flows, and blind spots before the team jumps to solutions too early. | When a controversial topic needs depth and discipline at the same time, Fishbowl Discussion makes the structure of the conversation transparent. The format keeps the core small enough for real dialogue and open enough for controlled turnover. | CATWOE structures a problem from six viewpoints and prevents too narrow a view of the situation. Different experiences of the system become comparably discussable this way. | When a group needs to connect many viewpoints in a short time, World Café creates a calm alternation between closeness and rotation. It sets thinking in motion without forcing the conversation into full-plenary rigidity. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 30-90 min | 45-90 min | 45-90 min | 60-180 min |
Participantsdifferent | 2-10 | 8-80 | 3-8 | 12-100+ |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Rich Picture, Problem Framing Notes | Discussion Insights, Observed Tensions, Follow-up Questions | CATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, Constraints | Table Notes, Emergent Themes, Shared Questions |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingSoft systemsFramingVisualization | FacilitationDialogueLarge group | Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders | FacilitationDialogueLarge groupSensemaking |



