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| Criterion |  Systems Thinking Rich Picture |  Systems Thinking Soft Systems Methodology |  Facilitation Consensus Workshop |  Facilitation Alignment Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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. | Soft Systems Methodology helps explore unclear or politically charged problems systematically. Instead of forcing a quick answer, the method builds a shared understanding of perspectives and room for action. | 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. | 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. |
Complexitydifferent | Low | High | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 30-90 min | 0.5-3 Tage | 1-3 h | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 2-10 | 5-15 | 5-30 | 4-12 |
Formatsame | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Rich Picture, Problem Framing Notes | Rich Picture, Root Definitions, Conceptual Models, Change Agenda | Consensus Clusters, Theme Titles, Priority Areas | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | Systems thinkingSoft systemsFramingVisualization | Soft systemsComplexitySensemakingSystems thinking | FacilitationConsensusWorkshopAlignment | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |