Square Wheels illustrations, that I first introduced in the early 90s, have since been used on the worldwide stage representing metaphors for organizational development initiatives and sold in toolkits for supervisors, managers and leaders for improving communications and performance. It all began with Square Wheels One:

Playing with Perplexity, I asked it for an Ode to Square Wheels. It is about people and performance and captures the essence of much about the Square Wheels metaphor. 

Oh, angular champions of unconventional motion,
Defying the smooth curves of circular devotion.
In the dance of progress, you clunk and you clatter,
A tiny testament to innovation, as if it no matter.

With each rotation, a thump and a thud,
You remind us that change is accomplished with mud.
Sometimes it’s bumpy, sometimes it’s rough,
But forward we go, even when the going’s tough.

Like caterpillars inching through their gooey phase,
You trudge along, earning another’s puzzled gaze.
Yet in your team’s awkward, cubic grace,
You show that real progress requires a pace.

Statistics / results favor round counterparts,
But you, square wheels, have captured our hearts.
For in your struggle, we see our own strife,
The bumpy muddy journey with the silos of life.

We love our Square Wheels and resist all the change.

So roll on, in your muddy journey forward,
Challenging norms, in your hopes for reward.
In your difficult dance, a lesson unfurls:
Sometimes the path to change isn’t smooth – it whirls.

As we chase the sun, ever-changing and bright,
You remind us that progress isn’t always light.
But in your persistence, a truth we discern:
It’s through challenges that we truly learn.

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