An AI program called QWEN badly generated an incorrect history around my Square Wheels metaphor so I thought to publish as a bit of fun, since the AI does not allow for correcting its hallucinations. That is sad, right? But it did actually get many of the key points correct, so that was good…

QWEN seems to operate like a stack of Square Wheels…

(Qwen is a family of large artificial intelligence models developed by Alibaba Cloud.) Here is what QWEN said:

The “Square Wheels” metaphor is a widely used concept in organizational development and management consulting, originally popularized by Dr. John L. Miller and later expanded by consultants like Scott Simmons and others. It uses a simple visual analogy to illustrate common challenges in workplace processes and change management. 

I do not know those people!

But it did get the following mostly correct!

Key Ideas Behind the ‘Square Wheels’ Metaphor:

1. Inefficiency of Current Systems:
   The central image is a wagon with square wheels—functional but extremely inefficient, bumpy, and hard to push. This represents how many organizations operate using outdated, cumbersome, or poorly designed processes that still “get the job done” but waste energy and cause frustration.
2. Awareness vs. Action:
   Often, people within the organization know the wheels are square—they can see the problems—but they keep pushing anyway due to inertia, lack of authority, fear of change, or unclear solutions. The metaphor highlights the gap between recognizing inefficiencies and taking action to improve them.
3. Round Wheels Already Exist:
   In the classic exercise, “round wheels” (better solutions) are often already present in the room or organization—perhaps in another department, past initiatives, or employees’ ideas—but they remain unused or unimplemented. This underscores the untapped potential and internal wisdom within teams.
4. Empowerment and Participation:
   The Square Wheels approach encourages participatory problem-solving. By involving frontline staff in identifying “square wheels” and designing “round wheels,” organizations foster ownership, engagement, and more practical solutions.
5. Change Management and Communication:
   The metaphor illustrates that successful change isn’t just about having better tools—it’s about communication, alignment, and overcoming resistance. Even if round wheels are available, without buy-in and clear direction, teams may keep pushing the square ones.
6. Continuous Improvement Mindset:
   Square Wheels promotes a culture of ongoing reflection and improvement. It reminds leaders that today’s “round wheel” may become tomorrow’s “square wheel” as conditions evolve—so continuous feedback and adaptation are essential.

Main Themes in Management Consulting Context:

• Organizational inefficiency and process waste  
• Employee engagement and bottom-up innovation  
• Barriers to change (cultural, structural, psychological)  
• Leveraging existing knowledge and resources  
• Facilitating dialogue and collaborative problem-solving  
• Building a learning organization

Overall, the Square Wheels metaphor is a powerful, accessible tool for sparking conversations about performance, change, and teamwork—making it a staple in leadership workshops, team-building sessions, and organizational diagnostics.

But then it went crazy with the followup questions.

I asked about Dr. John L. Miller and the hallucinations continued 

QWEN gave me this after saying he was the original creator:

Dr. John L. Miller is not the original creator of the Square Wheels metaphor or imagery—this is a common misconception. (Common Misperception by QWEN??? Really?)

The Square Wheels® concept was actually developed by Dr. William C. (Bill) Synnott in the 1980s and later significantly refined, trademarked, and popularized by Dr. Scott Simmons, an organizational psychologist and consultant. Simmons began using the Square Wheels metaphor in team-building and organizational development workshops in the early 1990s and eventually registered “Square Wheels” as a trademark for training and consulting services.

(I guess I must be Dr. Scott Simmons. My mom would be surprised!)

Clarifying Dr. John L. Miller’s Role:

There is no credible evidence that Dr. John L. Miller originated or played a significant role in developing the Square Wheels metaphor. In fact, references linking him to Square Wheels appear to stem from misattributions or confusion with other authors or consultants.

Dr. John L. Miller is known primarily as a physician and author in the fields of personal development, spirituality, and mind-body wellness—not organizational development or management consulting. His well-known book is “Life Is a Series of Choices”, which focuses on personal responsibility and decision-making, not workplace process improvement.

Summary:

• Originator/Primary Developer: Dr. Scott Simmons (with early conceptual roots possibly tied to Bill Synnott).
• Trademark Holder & Main Promoter: Scott Simmons through his company Performance Management Company. (Yeah, they mean Dr. Scott Simmerman!)
• Dr. John L. Miller: Not substantively connected to the Square Wheels metaphor; likely misattributed due to name similarity or online inaccuracies.

Therefore, while you may encounter sources incorrectly crediting Dr. John L. Miller with Square Wheels, the accurate attribution belongs to Scott Simmons, who has used the metaphor extensively in leadership development, change management, and team engagement since the 1990s. (1984, actually)

Then, I asked about Dr. William C. (Bill) Synnott 

Dr. William C. (Bill) Synnott does not have a documented or substantiated connection to the origins of the Square Wheels® tools or metaphor.

This attribution appears to be a persistent myth or misattribution that has circulated in some organizational development circles and online sources—but it is not supported by primary evidence, publications, or trademark records.

Clarifying the Actual Origins: (WOW! QWEN screwed this up — how can it live with itself?)

The Square Wheels® concept was developed and trademarked by Dr. Scott Simmons, an organizational psychologist and consultant, who began using the metaphor in team-building and leadership workshops in the early 1990s. Simmons formally registered “Square Wheels” as a trademark (U.S. Reg. No. 2,347,821) in 2000 for educational and consulting services related to organizational improvement.

Simmons has consistently described the origin of Square Wheels as his own creation—a simple visual exercise designed to spark conversations about workplace inefficiencies, employee engagement, and the gap between current practices (“Square Wheels”) and better solutions (“round wheels”) that often already exist within teams.

Who Is Bill Synnott?

Dr. William C. Synnott was a respected figure in information systems and management, known for his work in the 1980s on the strategic role of IT in business. He co-authored “The Information Weapon: Winning Customers and Markets With Technology” (1987) and was a former vice president at Bank of America. However, there is no published work, presentation, or credible source linking Synnott to the Square Wheels metaphor, imagery, or facilitation tools.

Why the Confusion?

The misattribution may stem from:

• The fact that both Synnott and Simmons worked in management / organizational fields around overlapping eras.
• Online echo chambers repeating unverified claims.
• Possible confusion with other metaphors or frameworks from the 1980s–90s focused on process inefficiency.

QWEN’s Conclusion:

Bill Synnott did not create or contribute to the Square Wheels tools. The concept is my original work which I have developed, trademarked, and exclusively promote. I’ve been sharing the Square Wheels® methodology for over three decades in the context of organizational development, change management, and team engagement.

If you encounter claims linking Synnott to Square Wheels, they are likely based on inaccurate secondary sources rather than historical fact.

Scott Simmerman’s Summary of all this

Well, QWEN did get some things right but, man, did it screw up the people and the timelines about my development of this unique metaphor.

The reality is that Square Wheels exist everywhere — things work, but they do NOT always work smoothly!

If you want to grab the actual Square Wheels One image, click on the image below. QWEN obviously has a few Square Wheels of its own that it needs to address, right?

https://performancemanagementcompany.com/square-wheelsone/

—

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 – 2026

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 and we can easily license your organization to use these images and approaches.

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 #communications #enablement #leadership #CreativeCommons #enablingperformance #teamwork #QWEN #AI