Square Wheels® – A brand that moves workgroups forward, visual that involve and engage and drive innovation and motivation. Simple effective tools.

For 30 years, I have been branding a metaphor that moves organizations and individuals forward on their journeys. Much of my business has revolved around one core idea: using simple visual metaphors to spark conversations about how organizations really work and how they could work better. That work started with a now-familiar line-art wagon and evolved into rich LEGO® scenes and we are now rolling along with great new visuals. ,They are tools that facilitators and change agents will recognize as to why they work so well.

Here is the evolution of the images since 1993…

From a single image to a global brand

The original Square Wheels® illustration on the left above was intentionally simple and context-free, which made it a powerful Rorschach test for how people see their workplaces. We showed the image with no words and asked about the participants’ realities. They wrote their tabletop ideas and presented them to the group. And everybody walked away with a green transparency they could use.

Basically, it was: Show the wagon with its Square Wheels^® and ask, “How might this represent how organizations really work?” and let everyone discuss their issues, frustrations, ideas, and opportunities onto the image. It was amazing in its impact and the immediate engagement we could generate. Everyone loved how it worked.

Looking at the image, everyone sees their own reality. Amazing!​

That single image became the anchor for workshops and presentations delivered in 49 countries, first with transparencies and then with PowerPoint-based materials for change, motivation, and improvement. Over time, “The Square Wheels Guy” identity emerged as the core personal and product brand, tightly linked to that original wagon drawing, even though I would prefer to be, “The Round Wheels Guy!” ​

Evolving into LEGO scenes

In 2016, the metaphor was re-expressed using LEGO^® blocks and Technic figures to build scenes that show similar Square Wheels themes in a more three-dimensional and colorfully playful way. A few people were saying that the black and white line art was just not modern enough. I guess… These LEGO-based frameworks focused on how things work, what is not working smoothly, and what “round wheel” possibilities already exist, but they do it with richer detail and more visual impact. It allowed me to do stop-motion animations and freely create all sorts of different analogies. I took thousands of pictures!

(And what is neat is how easily the new AI tools can convert these LEGO scenes into our new style! That work has just begun and we can soon even create more animations!)​

These LEGO Square Wheels scenes appeared across products, toolkits, and an online course teaching supervisors and team leaders how to facilitate conversations around engagement, innovation, implementation, and leadership. LEGO also opened the door to simple stop‑motion videos, making it easier to tell short visual stories about workplace reality and change.

Now, at 77, I am actively looking for all sorts of collaborations to build out training programs, card decks, books, articles and to be able to link this basic solid unique tool and approach into tools that can dramatically impact workplace cultures. Let’s talk about building the brand even more.​

Simple visuals, deep conversations

The underlying technology has never been complex: show an image, ask a good question, and let people talk about what they see and what they experience at work. Yet that simple structure consistently generates surprisingly deep discussions about people, processes, collaboration, and continuous performance improvement.

There are many different themes that open for discussion when using Sauare Wheels One

​Participants tend to focus on themes like involvement, motivation, innovation, and best practices, often surfacing specific roadblocks and practical “round wheel” ideas that were already available but underused. The images act as a safe and non-threatening mirror that helps them describe reality without feeling personally attacked. And they see all sorts of things in the image, which makes them perfect for generating ideas for improvement.

We have collected hundreds of ideas by showing and discussing Square Wheels One. Note that the Round Wheels are already in the wagon.

But it is not just Square Wheels One that we can use to really impact organizational engagement and generate ideas for improvement. ! I have more than 5 dozen different images and dozens of metaphors about personal growth, change, innovation, leadership, culture and other themes of growth and improvement.

What I call The First Thirty. There are dozens more…​

The Core Branding Opportunity: Let’s Build Together

From that very first black‑and‑white drawing — a simple image that has inspired many thousands of “aha” moments — the Square Wheels idea has continued to roll forward. Over the years, we’ve expanded from those early line‑art transparencies to full sets of images, toolkits, and now interactive digital platforms built on Stormz, making it easier than ever to engage participants, collect ideas, and spark meaningful dialogue.

But here’s the real opportunity: we can take this even further, together. Whether through co‑developing new learning tools, customizing digital facilitation modules, or authoring books and content around organizational change, I’m open to creative partnerships that bring these ideas to new audiences. The flexibility is there — we can shape our collaboration to fit your goals and your market.

I may still be a “one‑man band,” supported by my son Jeff at Simmulations, LLC, but that just means the rhythm is tight and the tempo is fast. With your expertise and imagination, we can create something truly original that helps teams everywhere discover their own Round Wheels.

An Invitation to Collaborate

If you’re a facilitator, coach, or organizational development practitioner, you already know how powerful the right image or metaphor can be in shifting thinking and sparking commitment. Square Wheels is both a proven framework and an open canvas — ready for your creative input.

I invite you to join me in shaping its next generation of applications — interactive workshops, digital simulations, new toolkits, visual content, or training experiences that truly engage people in performance improvement. Share your ideas, challenges, and curiosity; every insightful conversation starts the wheel turning.

Reach out — and let’s explore what we can build together. Partners in innovation will receive early access to new materials and prototypes, including a complimentary Square Wheels toolkit to experiment with in your own work.

And not that Square Wheels One is now FREELY available to you with a Creative Commons BY-ND license, so you can download and use the image. Check out the simple details here:

Download the FREE Square Wheels One image under Creative Commons license

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For organizations with multiple stuck teams or individuals looking to build tools, book a short conversation to design something using Square Wheels, We can easily build some really great tools and courses and support systems,

For the FUN of It!

Dr. Scott Simmerman is a designer of team building games and organization improvement tools.
Managing Partner of Performance Management Company since 1984, he is an experienced presenter and consultant who is trying to retire!! He now lives in Cuenca, Ecuador.

You can reach Scott at scott@squarewheels.com
Learn more about Scott at his LinkedIn site.

Square Wheels® are a registered trademark of Simmulations, LLC
and images have been copyrighted since 1993,

© Simmulations, LLC 1993 – 2025

What I’m About:

My Square Wheels blog and website exist to help leaders, trainers, and facilitators make work smoother, more engaging, and more human. I focus on practical tools for process improvement, organizational change, and workplace collaboration that spark insight and deliver measurable results.

And I am convinced, after 30+ years of using Square Wheels, that it is the best facilitation toolset in the world. One can use it to involve and engage people in designing workplace improvements and building engagement and collaboration. It is a unique metaphorical approach to performance improvement.

By blending proven facilitation methods, creative problem-solving, and engaging team activities, my mission is to support organizations in building energized, sustainable cultures of involvement and innovation.

Through accessible — and often free — resources and virtual facilitation tools, I aim to help teams everywhere collaborate more effectively, innovate continuously, and take ownership of their improvement journey.

#SquareWheels  #InnovationAtWork  #TeamEngagement  #FacilitationTools  #WorkplaceImprovement  #EmployeeEngagement  #CreativeProblemSolving  #OrganizationalDevelopment  #LeadershipTools #collaboration #leadership #motivation #communcations

Square Wheels are the best facilitation tool in the marketplace insofar as impacting engagement and innovation.