Creating a Community of Local Systems Practitioners

This case study outlines the establishment of the Communities of Practice for Effective Partnerships (COPE) activity, which aims to foster a community of systems thinking practitioners among 16 local organizations addressing complex development challenges. Funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the initiative supports participants in applying systems thinking approaches through a series of training sessions held from 2017 to 2020. The participating organizations sought to build upon their training and actively engage in mutual support. COPE emphasizes community building through intentional participation and shared learning experiences, utilizing various digital communication platforms to facilitate ongoing interaction. It highlights the significance of creating a member-driven environment that encourages collaboration and knowledge sharing. The case also details the importance of understanding local contexts and challenges in promoting systems thinking among organizations that traditionally have limited access to such methodologies. Overall, COPE represents an innovative approach to enhancing local organizational capabilities in development work.