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| Criterion | ![]() Facilitation World Café | ![]() Systems Thinking Soft Systems Methodology | ![]() Systems Thinking CATWOE Analysis | ![]() 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. | 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. | 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 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 | High | Medium | Medium |
Timedifferent | 60-180 min | 0.5-3 Tage | 45-90 min | 1-2 h |
Participantsdifferent | 12-100+ | 5-15 | 3-8 | 4-12 |
Formatdifferent | Workshop | Workshop | Workshop + async | Workshop |
Outputdifferent | Table Notes, Emergent Themes, Shared Questions | Rich Picture, Root Definitions, Conceptual Models, Change Agenda | CATWOE Canvas, Root Definition, Stakeholder Perspectives, Constraints | Alignment Map, Open Issues, Decision Questions |
Tagsno overlap | FacilitationDialogueLarge groupSensemaking | Soft systemsComplexitySensemakingSystems thinking | Systems thinkingFramingStakeholders | AlignmentStakeholdersStrategyFacilitation |



