Waters Center for Systems Thinking
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersTucson, AZ, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Waters Center for Systems Thinking firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Waters Center for Systems Thinking
- Legal name
- Waters Center for Systems Thinking Inc.
- Website
- https://waterscenterst.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Waters Center for Systems Thinking industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Education and Training
- NAICS
- Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169), Software Publishers (513210)
- SIC
- Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Critical Thinking & Problem Solving (EDABAMAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Critical Thinking, Problem Solving & Decision-Making (EDAAAKAH)
Keywords
Where Waters Center for Systems Thinking is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tucson, AZ
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Waters Center for Systems Thinking business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Professional Services & Consulting: Revenue from consulting engagements, organizational development services, and customized workshops delivered virtually or in-person to schools, districts, businesses, government agencies, and communities. Services include pre-designed workshops, executive coaching, speaking engagements, and fully customized engagements.
- Advanced Facilitator Credential Program: Intensive 1-year credentialing program priced at $3,200-$3,400 per person with limited partial scholarships available. Designed for experienced systems thinkers advancing facilitation and coaching skills.
- Product Sales: Sale of physical products including Habits of a Systems Thinker card sets (2020 edition), toolkits for forums, and books such as The Systems Thinking Facilitator's Toolkit through the Shopify store.
- Donations & Charitable Contributions: Tax-deductible donations as a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Accepts monthly recurring donations, one-time contributions via PayPal or check. Tax ID: 83-2041181.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Advanced Facilitator Credential Program - $3,200 per person |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Advanced Facilitator Credential Program - $3,400 per person |
| Freemium | Monthly | Thinking Tools Studio - Free |
| Subscription | Monthly | Donation Tiers - Friend ($25), Supporter ($50) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels10 records
Waters Center for Systems Thinking product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Waters Center for Systems Thinking is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that delivers systems thinking education, training, and capacity-building services. Its offerings include a free online Thinking Tools Studio platform, the proprietary Habits of a Systems Thinker framework, an Advanced Facilitator Credential certification program, customized consulting, workshops, virtual forums, and webinars. Customers are organizations and individuals across education, healthcare, business, government, and nonprofit sectors.
Product overview
The Waters Center for Systems Thinking offers a comprehensive portfolio of systems thinking education and capacity-building products and services. The core offering is the Habits of a Systems Thinker™ framework—the foundational methodology underpinning all programs—which includes digital flip cards, downloadable resources, and physical card sets. The primary digital platform is the Thinking Tools Studio, a free self-guided online learning system featuring 33 courses organized into three tracks: Habits (15 courses), Tools (9 courses), and Archetypes (9 courses), plus additional resources. The organization delivers structured learning through online workshops, the Advanced Facilitator Credential program (a 1-year intensive), Open Studio Webinars (free monthly sessions), and Building Pathways for Systems Thinkers Virtual Forums. Consulting services encompass tailored organizational development, leadership development, and sector-specific solutions for healthcare, education, government, non-profits, and corporations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 90% of 150 teacher and leader participants showed evidence of active ST applications to classroom instruction and leadership (W.K. Kellogg Foundation project)
- +9 more outcomes
Companies that use Waters Center for Systems Thinking
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments12 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Waters Center for Systems Thinking technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Waters Center for Systems Thinking partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- W.K. Kellogg FoundationflagshipGrant-funded project 'Systems Thinking in School Communities' from July 2017 to December 2019. Over 90% of 150 teacher and leader participants showed evidence of active ST applications. Worked with Alabama and Kentucky regions including Auburn University, Kentucky Valley Education Cooperative (KVEC), and Central Kentucky Head Start.
- United Way of Tucson and Southern ArizonacoreGreat Expectations for Children and Families program - nationally recognized communities of practice focused on early childhood education. Waters Center provided initial two-day training laying foundation for the initiative. After building sufficient capacity, practitioners now conduct ongoing professional development independently.
- Catalina Foothills School DistrictflagshipFirst Waters Foundation project (1989), becoming demonstration site in partnership with Waters Center since 2011. District of 5,200 students has embedded ST concepts throughout curriculum as a deep learning proficiency alongside citizenship, critical thinking, and collaboration.
- National Governors AssociationcoreWaters Center worked with NGA staffers to build systems thinking capacity, creating common language using Habits. Staffers used Ladder of Inference for policy decisions and understanding mental models of those with different viewpoints.
- Twin Rivers Unified School DistrictcoreFollowing California state merger of four districts into one large urban district, Waters Center supported reorganization and leadership development. Nearly a decade of work resulted in improved attendance, decreased suspensions, increased academic proficiency, and internal promotion of systems-thinking leaders.
- Auburn UniversityminorLearning partnership developed as part of W.K. Kellogg Foundation Systems Thinking in School Communities project.
- Kentucky Valley Education Cooperative (KVEC)minorRegional partner in Kentucky for W.K. Kellogg Foundation Systems Thinking in School Communities project.
- Central Kentucky Head StartminorLearning partnership in Kentucky developing systems thinking capacity in early childhood education settings.
- Center on Enhancing Early Learning Outcomes (CEELO)coreCEELO established in 2014 sponsored 5 cohorts of state-level early childhood leader Fellows. Inspired ongoing cohort opportunities now sponsored by NASLEE. Several CEELO Fellows earned Waters Center Advanced Facilitator Credential.
- NASLEE (National Association of State Leaders in Early Education)coreNow sponsors the NASLEE Leadership Academy with Waters Center credentialed facilitators (former CEELO Fellows) as systems thinking trainers and coaches.
- Disha India Education Foundation and the Heritage SchoolsminorInternational partner organization in Gurgaon, India, as part of Waters Center global network.
- Systems Thinking Association, TurkeyminorInternational partner organization as part of Waters Center global network spanning 80+ countries.
- Pacific UniversitycoreSystems thinking course for doctoral nurse practitioners applying Habits and tools to healthcare leadership, strategic planning, and workplace culture systems.
- Office of Population AffairscoreMultiple non-profits focused on adolescent health and well-being partnered with Waters Center through OPA support to take more systemic approach to their work.
- AMA Education ConsortiumflagshipHabits of a Systems Thinker reprinted in chapter 2 of the AMA Education Consortium: Health Systems Science textbook (2nd ed., 2021) with explanations and examples connecting each habit to healthcare.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Waters Center for Systems Thinking competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Skillsoft: Public corporate digital learning company offering content, leadership development, and professional training at scale across L&D and HR markets. Represents the broad incumbent competitive alternative for corporate and government training budgets that Waters Center also targets.
Direct peers
- Generon Consulting: Management consulting firm specializing in system change, dialogue, and organizational transformation using systems thinking frameworks. Co-founded by board member LeAnne Grillo; comparable consulting methodology and client types.
- Reos Partners: Global systems change and multi-stakeholder facilitation consultancy employing systems thinking, leverage analysis, and collective-impact methodologies. Board member LeAnne Grillo co-founded the firm, indicating methodology and practitioner overlap with Waters Center's consulting practice.
- Society for Organizational Learning (SoL): Global learning community originally catalyzed by Peter Senge (MIT) advancing systems thinking, learning organizations, and the Fifth Discipline lineage. Same intellectual tradition (Forrester/Senge) as Waters Center and a natural organizational counterpart.
- Academy for Systems Change: Education and capacity-building nonprofit (successor to Pegasus Communications) focused on systems change facilitation for practitioners and organizations. Comparable methodology, comparable consulting and training product, and shared lineage through board member LeAnne Grillo.
- Pegasus Communications: Historical systems thinking training, publications, and consulting firm that shaped the systems thinking-in-education movement in the 1990s–2000s. Co-founded by board member LeAnne Grillo and direct methodological predecessor to much of Waters Center's content library.
- Creative Learning Exchange: Nonprofit dedicated to embedding systems thinking in K–12 education via teacher workshops, the Waters Foundation-derived Habits of a Systems Thinker, and educational materials. Overlaps almost entirely with Waters Center's core PreK-12 segment.
Emerging players
- Sustainable Food Lab: Multi-stakeholder collaboration applying systems thinking and leverage-point analysis to global food systems. Comparable methodology and co-founded by board member LeAnne Grillo, but narrower sector focus.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Waters Center for Systems Thinking social profiles
Digital presenceWaters Center for Systems Thinking financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Waters Center for Systems Thinking leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Waters Center for Systems Thinking funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Waters Center for Systems Thinking M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Waters Center for Systems Thinking
What does Waters Center for Systems Thinking do?
The Waters Center for Systems Thinking is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that delivers systems thinking education, training, and capacity-building services. Its offerings include a free online Thinking Tools Studio platform, the proprietary Habits of a Systems Thinker framework, an Advanced Facilitator Credential certification program, customized consulting, workshops, virtual forums, and webinars. Customers are organizations and individuals across education, healthcare, business, government, and nonprofit sectors.
Is Waters Center for Systems Thinking a public or private company?
Waters Center for Systems Thinking is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Waters Center for Systems Thinking founded?
Waters Center for Systems Thinking was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Waters Center for Systems Thinking based?
Waters Center for Systems Thinking is headquartered in Tucson, AZ, United States, in the North America region.
How does Waters Center for Systems Thinking make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Professional Services & Consulting is the primary driver. The others are advanced Facilitator Credential Program, product Sales and donations & Charitable Contributions.
Who are Waters Center for Systems Thinking's main competitors?
Skillsoft is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Generon Consulting, Reos Partners, Society for Organizational Learning (SoL), Academy for Systems Change, Pegasus Communications and Creative Learning Exchange. Sustainable Food Lab is listed as an emerging player.
Does Waters Center for Systems Thinking have an API?
No public API is recorded for Waters Center for Systems Thinking.
What industry is Waters Center for Systems Thinking in?
Waters Center for Systems Thinking's product category is Professional Education and Training. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDABAMAG, Critical Thinking & Problem Solving, with a secondary code of EDAAAKAH, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving & Decision-Making. Its NAICS code is 54169 and its SIC code is 8742.