“We can’t impose our will on a system.  We can listen to what the system tells us, and discover how its properties and our values can work together to bring forth something much better than could ever be produced by our will alone.”

Donella Meadows, “Dancing with System”

At the end of 2020 in an attempt to listen to the systems in which we were living, the Waters Center team sought new ways to achieve its mission of building systems thinking capacity across generations and geographies.  Our team determined it was time to launch a credential program for people passionate about furthering their own systems thinking learning and also nurturing their ability to build the capacity of others to navigate complexity.  

On June 17, 2021, we launched our first cohort of the Advanced Facilitator Program,  committed to delivering benefit to each person who chose to become a co-learner with us. From the first cohort meeting we began to experience the power of bringing people together from multiple sectors, countries and career paths, who were committed to using systems thinking tools, Habits and concepts in their life and work.  The AFC Community of Practice quickly became a key strategy in our mission to make the world a better place  

A community of practice (CoP) is defined as a group of people who share a passion for learning and engage in regular interaction to deepen their expertise in that area. They learn from each other, share experiences, and develop a shared repertoire of resources and practices.  

As of May 2025, that initial cohort of 26 people grew to a community of practice of 150 people representing 15 countries.  The contexts in which they seek to apply systems thinking are diverse.  There are educators, executives, lawyers, physicians, and entrepreneurs, representing public, private, for-profit, non-profit sectors.  Together they embody the definition of a community of practice:

Virtual learning made this exquisite diversity of background and experience possible among the cohort.  Nevertheless, the desire for in person connection led to the first AFC reunion.  So on June 23, 2025, 50 members representing all nine cohorts of learners came together in person to learn from each other, share experiences and deepen their expertise.  The three days were filled with conversation, learning and laughter.  We were able to engage in kinesthetic learning experiences  not possible online.  People met in groups to discuss points of commonality and stretched themselves to learn about how this work can be applied in different fields. This is a passionate group with deep expertise, a true community of practice.

One participant described the experience like this. “The depth of expertise in the group was amazing.  To witness all the people applying Systems Thinking in so many different, complex ways. Each person I connected with now feels like a treasure to me!”

The level of conversation and learning was incredible. The days we spent together were filled with synergistic conversation, deep learning and thoughtful reflection.  New ideas were born, concepts clarified and personal relationships, many of which will be lifelong friendships, were strengthened. 

So what is the role of a community of practice in learning about systems thinking?  There are plenty of great resources in print and online that capture the basic principles of systems thinking and even the deep wisdom that a system thinking lens brings to the world.  Many of us have taken courses, attended lectures, read journal articles and even conducted research into the theories, practices and applications of systems thinking.  Yet it seems there is something different about creating a community that commits to engaging regularly for an extended period of time and learning from one another.

There is support that comes from regular engagement with other people.  CoPs create an exchange of ideas that reinforce the understanding that there are multiple ways to see the exact same thing.  

Systems thinking is more than a trendy idea, a set of charts and graphs, or a series of steps that can be utilized to produce a desired outcome.  It isn’t a program.  It isn’t a formula.  It is a nuanced practice that helps us deal with complexity. 

In describing the reunion another participant described the role of the CoP this way.  “Systems thinkers have ‘capacity for complexity.’ Each person who shared out, expressed complex intricacies that were not simple insights, but rich and multifaceted. As I listened to ‘advanced’ systems thinkers in a world of ‘simple’ answers to complex problems, I was struck with how the group shared very deep and complex answers. I think it is interesting as you listen to folks who are on the more experienced end of the ST scale, you hear more and more complexity.”

The capacity for dealing with complexity is more than knowing.  It includes tolerating uncertainty, seeing contradictions and sometimes admitting that your original assumptions were wrong.  Capacity for complexity grows with practice.  Like a muscle it is strengthened through practice, discomfort and the art of listening deeply.  Dealing with complexity shuns reductionism.  Where some leaders may want a checklist, a systems thinker might want a map or a story.

When was the last time you and your community sat with a question long enough to let the complexity grow?  How willing are you to not know the answers?  Learning to be a systems thinker requires letting go of the knowns.  Accepting that there is more to learn and being willing to connect with a trusted community that can help navigate the new learning is essential for going beyond a knowledge about systems thinking  and instead engaging in the practice of systems thinking.

Our AFC community of practice is about developing a shared repertoire of resources and practices that will inform a growing body of work about systems thinking.  These credentialed facilitators serve as a model for the importance of community in learning. They will continue  to practice systems thinking; surfaces and tests their mental models; consider issues fully; iterate ideas;  seek a more nuanced view of the system; focus on systems structure;  use feedback to tell the story of the system.  They will intentionally spend  time together and support one another in learning.   They are a community of practice that shares a deep purpose–to make the world a better place.  This community of practice is inclusive of individuals who were not able to be part of this in person gathering, but participate in this cohort program and share in a commitment to continue to passionately engage in learning.  

We are filled with gratitude for those 50 individuals who were able to join in person, some traveling thousands of miles, to build the body of systems thinking knowledge and to model what it means to be a community of learners.  Together we will work to bring forth a vision of our systems much deeper than could ever be produced alone.