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| Criterion | ![]() Facilitation World Café | ![]() Systems Thinking CATWOE Analysis | ![]() Facilitation Open Space Technology | ![]() Facilitation Alignment Mapping |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Purposedifferent | 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. | 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 complex topic does not yet have a fitting agenda, Open Space Technology hands topic ownership back to the participants. The format suits questions that only move forward when real interest determines the order. | 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 | Medium | Medium | High | Medium |
Timedifferent | 60-180 min | 45-90 min | 0.5-2 Tage | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 12-100+ | 3-8 | 20-500+ | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Table Notes, Emergent Themes, Shared Questions | CATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, Constraints | Session Marketplace, Proceedings, Action Topics | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | FacilitationDialogueLarge groupSensemaking | Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders | FacilitationLarge groupAutonomy | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |



