Connection Circles
Connection Circles are an entry-level systems thinking tool: the elements of a situation are written around the edge of a circle, and an arrow is drawn between two elements wherever one directly causes a change in the other. Arrows that lead back to their starting point reveal feedback loops. Rob Quaden and Alan Ticotsky, with Debra Lyneis, described the tool in The Shape of Change (Creative Learning Exchange, 2004) from their work in the Carlisle Public Schools, Massachusetts, as a stepping stone to causal loop diagrams.
Facilitation script
- 1
Introduce the situation or hand out the story, form teams of about four and explain the two rules: elements must be able to increase or decrease, and arrows show direct causes only.
5 min - 2
Teams choose five to ten elements and write them around their circle.
10 min - 3
Teams draw arrows from cause to effect, explaining each one aloud. Walk around and question links that skip a step.
15 min - 4
Teams trace closed paths and redraw each loop separately, with its elements in order.
10 min - 5
Each team tells the story of one loop to the whole group. Compare which loops several teams found.
10 min - 6
Discuss where in a loop an intervention could change the pattern and note what to examine next.
5 min
Tips
Test every element with the question whether it can go up or down.
'Management' fails that test, 'trust in management' passes.
Be strict about direct causation: if a third element sits in between, add it to the circle instead of drawing a shortcut.
Do not introduce loop vocabulary first; let people discover a path that comes back around and name it afterwards.
Common pitfalls
Choosing elements that cannot rise or fall, such as events or departments. Arrows between them describe sequence, not causation, and no loops appear
Putting more than ten elements on the circle. The drawing turns into a web of lines and tracing loops becomes guesswork
Drawing arrows for indirect influence. Almost everything then connects to everything and the real loops are buried
Stopping when the circle is full of arrows. The insight comes from tracing and retelling the loops, which is the step most often cut for time
Letting one person draw while others watch. The spoken reasoning for each arrow is how the team tests its thinking
Variations
The plus and minus notation is a common addition in later descriptions of the tool, for example on Untools; beginners can leave it out and simply tell each arrow as a sentence. Individuals can draw their own circle first and compare within the team. As a follow-up, turn the redrawn loops into a full causal loop diagram and decide whether each loop reinforces or balances change. Online, use a shared board with element labels placed around a circle and connector arrows. The tool was created for school classrooms and works with adult groups without changes.
Where it fits
When to use it
A problem keeps returning after each fix and the group suspects the fixes feed the problem
The team is new to systems thinking and a causal loop diagram would intimidate them
People blame single causes and you want them to see how the factors influence each other
You have a written case, an incident report or a story the whole group knows and want to analyse it together
You need a quick first pass before investing in a more formal system model
When not to use it
The group already works with systems diagrams. Go straight to a Causal Loop Diagram, which handles delays and many more variables
The problem has one clear chain of causes with no feedback. Five Whys or a fishbone diagram is quicker
The situation has far more than ten important elements. The circle becomes unreadable, so map it with a Causal Loop Diagram or Rich Pictures
You need to understand concepts and definitions, not dynamics. A Concept Map with labelled links fits better
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is Connection Circles?▾
Connection Circles is a simple systems thinking tool in which the key elements of a situation are written around a circle and connected with arrows showing direct cause and effect. Paths of arrows that return to their starting element are feedback loops. It was described by Rob Quaden, Alan Ticotsky and Debra Lyneis in The Shape of Change in 2004 and was first used with school students.
How is a connection circle different from a causal loop diagram?▾
A connection circle fixes the layout: a limited number of elements sit on the rim and the loops emerge from tracing arrows. A causal loop diagram is drawn freely, labels loops as reinforcing or balancing and can include delays and many variables. The circle is the easier first step and its loops can be redrawn as a causal loop diagram.
How many elements should go around the circle?▾
The original guidance is no more than five to ten. With fewer, the picture is too thin to contain a loop; with more, the arrows become impossible to follow. If the group wants more, ask which elements actually change in the story and drop the rest.
What counts as a good element?▾
A noun or noun phrase that matters to the story and can increase or decrease. It can be tangible, like the number of support tickets, or intangible, like customer patience. Avoid verbs, events and names of people or teams.
How long does the exercise take?▾
Allow 30 to 60 minutes. A short written case with a team new to the tool takes about 45 minutes including the loop stories. The source gives no timing, so treat this as a practical estimate.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from Rob Quaden, Alan Ticotsky and Debra Lyneis, The Shape of Change (Creative Learning Exchange, 2004).