Most managers don’t have an idea shortage problem. They have an idea access and an enabling performance problem. Here are the tools.

The good news: in most organizations, the “round wheels” already exist. People doing the work see the opportunities, workaround solutions, and better ways of doing things every single day.

The challenge: helping leaders notice and use what’s already in the wagon instead of importing yet another “new” program. Generating a sense of ownership involvement is a key to generating the motivation to implement improvements.

That’s exactly what my Square Wheels and Caterpillar/Flow frameworks were built to address. Here are five short reads you can hand to any manager who wants to mine the ideas already inside their teams instead of looking outside for answers:

1️⃣ Square Wheels – World’s Best Engagement Tool
Shows how “Square Wheels” represent things that work but don’t work smoothly, and how the “Round Wheels” are the ideas already available from the people closest to the work. It gives managers simple language and visuals to start conversations that surface those existing solutions.​

🔗 https://performancemanagementcompany.com/2025/02/10/worlds-best-engagement-tool/​

2️⃣ Rolling Forward on Square Wheels
Makes the core case that “the people doing the work already know the solutions.” The post shows how leaders can reframe their role from problem-solver to idea collector and barrier remover so better ways of doing things can actually roll.​
🔗 https://performancemanagementcompany.com/2026/01/14/rolling-forward-on-square-wheels/​

3️⃣ Dis‑un‑engagement (series overview)
These pieces explore engagement as the process of removing friction, fear, and clutter so people can bring forward ideas they already have. It’s less about “adding motivation” and more about eliminating the reasons people stay silent.​
🔗 https://performancemanagementcompanyblog.wordpress.com/category/engagement-2/dis-un-engagement/​

4️⃣ Generating Intrinsic Motivation and Active Engagement
Connects ownership, involvement, and autonomy to the flow of ideas. When people feel they own the wagon, they volunteer more round wheels. This is a practical bridge from “I know my people have ideas” to “here’s how I manage so they actually share and implement them.”​
🔗 https://performancemanagementcompany.com/2023/01/11/generating-intrinsic-motivation-and-active-engagement/​

5️⃣ Leading Change – Teaching the Caterpillar to Fly
Uses the caterpillar-to-butterfly metaphor to show that most change is about releasing existing potential, not bolting on external best practices. It gives leaders a way to talk about transformation that honors the capabilities already present in their culture and teams.​
🔗 https://performancemanagementcompany.com/2026/01/06/leading-change-teaching-the-caterpillar-to-fly/​

If you’re a manager wrestling with the question, “How do I tap into the ideas my people already have?”, these are designed as practical tools, not theory.

Start with the Square Wheels pieces (blogs 1 and 2), pick one dis‑un‑engagement article, and then use the motivation and caterpillar posts to frame how you lead the ongoing conversations. Reading these, you will get a lot of ideas congruent with how you do things. And connect with me if you want to kick the ideas around.

And for sure grab the FREE Square Wheels One image by clicking on the image below:

Download the FREE Square Wheels One image under Creative Commons license

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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.

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