The Working Together Wheel

The Working Together Wheel provides a common language for recognizing productive and counterproductive behaviors within teams. It helps individuals and organizations become more self-aware, self-correcting, and intentional about creating a positive culture that supports collaboration, accountability, and results. This is how we work together in Richland County School District One.

How we work together matters. The Working Together Wheel invites us to reflect not only on what we accomplish, but also on the behaviors we bring to work.

🟢 The Green Zone: Productive Behaviors
The Green Zone represents behaviors that move our work, relationships, and organization forward. These behaviors reflect collaboration, curiosity, openness, accountability, active listening, and a willingness to seek solutions. When we operate in the Green Zone, we create space for learning, productive dialogue, shared ownership, and continuous improvement.

🔴 The Red Zone: Counterproductive Behaviors
The Red Zone represents behaviors that can interfere with collaboration and progress. Defensiveness, blame, assumptions, resistance, avoidance, and focusing on problems without seeking solutions can keep us from working together effectively.

A Leadership Reflection

We all move between the Green and Red Zones at times. The goal is not perfection, but self-awareness and intentionality. Strong leadership means recognizing when our behaviors are no longer serving the work and making the conscious choice to reset, refocus, and return to productive behaviors.

This month, ask yourself:
What zone am I bringing into the room, and is my behavior helping us move forward together?

The challenge: Recognize it. Own it. Shift it. Grow from it.

This month, we are highlighting two Green Zone productive behaviors from the Working Together Wheel: Search Out from the Appreciation side of the wheel and Reflect from the Collaborate side.

🔎 SEARCH OUT | Appreciation

Definition: Suspending judgment and discovering new insights through probing, eliciting, and exploring words, meanings, and behaviors.

In Practice:
Search Out challenges us to pause before assuming. Instead of immediately forming a conclusion, we intentionally ask questions, seek understanding, and remain open to perspectives that may differ from our own.

Try It:

• “Tell me more about that.”

• “Help me understand your perspective.”

• “What might I be missing?”

💭 REFLECT | Collaborate

Definition: Thinking, reorganizing, or integrating experiences and/or perspectives.

In Practice:
Reflection creates the space to pause, process, and learn. It allows us to consider what we experienced, integrate different perspectives, and determine how new learning should influence our thinking and actions.

Try It:

• “What did I learn from this experience?”

• “How has another perspective influenced my thinking?”

• “What might I do differently moving forward?”

💚 Green Zone Challenge

This month, practice moving from assumption to inquiry and from reaction to reflection.

Search Out to understand. Reflect to grow. Collaborate to move forward.

This month, we are highlighting two Red Zone counterproductive behaviors from the Working Together Wheel: Blame from the Fight side of the wheel and Avoid from the Flight side.

👉 BLAME | Fight

Definition: Finding fault with others or circumstances and not taking responsibility for words and/or actions.

In Practice:
Blame can shift our attention away from what we can influence or change. Moving out of blame requires us to pause, examine our own contribution, and focus on ownership, responsibility, and solutions.

Ask Yourself:

• “What part of this can I own?”

• “What is within my control?”

• “How can I contribute to the solution?”

🚶 AVOID | Flight

Definition: Withdrawing, circumventing, or refraining from direct response or contact.

In Practice:
Avoidance can prevent us from addressing important issues, having necessary conversations, or seeking clarity. Moving away from avoidance means choosing to engage, communicate directly, and address concerns constructively.

Ask Yourself:

• “What conversation might I be avoiding?”

• “What needs to be addressed directly?”

• “How can I approach this situation productively?”

🔴➡️🟢 Red-to-Green Challenge

Being in the Red Zone does not define us. Recognizing it gives us an opportunity to make a different choice. When we notice blame or avoidance showing up, we can pause, reset, and intentionally choose a more productive Green Zone behavior.

Recognize it. Own it. Shift it. Move forward together.

Use Circular Dialogue as we did at Convocation to conduct the following: (See last resource section for instructions).

As you participate in the dialogue, consider:

• 🟢 What does Search Out look and sound like when we are working together?

• 🟢 How can Reflect help us respond more thoughtfully and productively?

• 🔴 How might Blame impact trust, accountability, and our ability to move forward?

• 🔴 When might Avoid prevent us from having conversations that need to happen?

• 🔄 What can we do when we recognize that we have moved into a Red Zone behavior?

• 💡 How can we help create conditions that make it easier for one another to shift from Red to Green?

Take It With You

At the conclusion of the dialogue, identify one Green Zone behavior you will intentionally practice in your interactions this month. Awareness creates choice. When we recognize our behaviors, we can choose how we show up, how we respond, and how we work together.

We all have moments when pressure, frustration, uncertainty, or disagreement can move us into the Red Zone. The goal is not to pretend those moments do not happen. The goal is to recognize the behavior, pause, and intentionally flip the wheel toward a more productive Green Zone response.

Using the Working Together Wheel graphic, engage your team in Circular Dialogue to explore the scenarios below or you can create your own relative scenarios. See below:

🎯 How to Flip the Wheel

1. Read the scenario aloud.

2. Turn the wheel to identify where the initial response falls: Green Zone or Red Zone?

3. If it is Red, identify the behavior: Blame or Avoid.

4. Use Circular Dialogue to discuss:

5. What makes this response Red?

6. What impact could this behavior have on the work or on others?

7. Flip the Wheel! Turn to the Green Zone and consider Search Out or Reflect.

8. Discuss: What could the person say or do differently to move from Red to Green?

9. End by sharing one Green Zone response that could move the situation forward productively.

🔴 Scenario 1: “It Wasn't My Fault”

A task does not get completed as expected. During the follow-up conversation, a staff member immediately explains, “I couldn't get it done because no one gave me what I needed. This isn't on me.”

Turn the Wheel: Where is this behavior?
Flip the Wheel: How could Search Out or Reflect help the person move from assigning fault toward understanding, ownership, and solutions?

🔴 Scenario 2: “Maybe It Will Work Itself Out”

A staff member has a concern about a process that is creating confusion. Rather than speaking directly with the appropriate person, the staff member decides not to address it and begins working around the issue.

Turn the Wheel: Is this Green or Red? Why?
Flip the Wheel: How could the person use Search Out to ask questions, gain clarity, and engage directly rather than Avoid the situation?

🔄 Scenario 3: “I See It Differently”

During a team discussion, a colleague shares an idea that is different from yours. Your first instinct is to dismiss the suggestion because you believe your approach will work better. Instead, you pause and say, “Help me understand how you see this working.”

Turn the Wheel: Is this response Green or Red? What tells you that?

Keep It Green: How are Search Out and Reflect demonstrated? How might this response change the direction of the conversation?

The next time you recognize Blame or Avoid showing up in your work, pause before responding.

Recognize it → Turn the Wheel → Search Out → Reflect → Choose a productive response.

The power is not in ever entering the Red Zone. The power is recognizing when we're there and choosing to flip the wheel.

Commitment Statement: This month, I commit to being intentional about how I show up and work with others. I will recognize when Blame or Avoid shows up, pause and “flip the wheel” by choosing to Search Out, Reflect, and respond in ways that strengthen collaboration, accountability, and understanding.

Our Commitment:

Recognize it. Own it. Flip it. Choose Green.

Purpose

Circular Dialogue is a structured communication protocol designed to ensure that every participant has an opportunity to speak, listen, and be heard.

The protocol supports productive collaboration by promoting active listening, equitable participation, thoughtful reflection, and respect for diverse perspectives. It creates space for all voices while encouraging participants to listen for understanding rather than simply waiting for an opportunity to respond.

When to Use Circular Dialogue

Circular Dialogue may be used when teams are:

• Discussing an idea, question, challenge, or issue

• Brainstorming possibilities or solutions

• Developing or refining projects and plans

• Gathering perspectives or input from all team members

• Reflecting on information, data, or learning

• Working toward shared understanding before making a decision

Protocol

When engaging in Circular Dialogue:

1. Present the Focus: A facilitator presents a question, topic, issue, or prompt for consideration.

2.Establish the Direction: Participants respond one at a time, moving clockwise around the group.

3.Honor the Speaker: Each participant is given the opportunity to speak without interruption, side conversations, or responses from others.

4.Signal Completion: When a participant has finished sharing, the participant says, “Over.” This signals that the next person may begin.

5.Listen to Understand: While others are speaking, participants actively listen and remain attentive to the ideas and perspectives being shared.

6.Wait for Your Turn: Participants refrain from interrupting, responding, correcting, or debating—even when they feel strongly about the topic. Each person waits until it is their turn to contribute.

7.Allow Space to Pass: A participant may choose to pass when their turn arrives. The facilitator may return to that participant after the circle is complete to provide another opportunity to contribute.

Role of the Facilitator

The facilitator is responsible for:

• Clearly stating the question or prompt.

• Establishing the direction of the dialogue.

• Protecting each participant’s opportunity to speak without interruption.

• Redirecting interruptions or side conversations when necessary.

• Maintaining a respectful and productive environment.

• Listening for themes, questions, or ideas that may need further discussion after the circle is complete.

Important Distinction

Circular Dialogue is for listening and gathering perspectives—not immediate debate.

Participants should not respond directly to, challenge, or evaluate another person’s contribution during the initial round. Once everyone has had an opportunity to speak, the facilitator may transition the group into open discussion, clarification, problem-solving, or decision-making.

Our Commitment

Every voice has value. Every perspective deserves to be heard. We listen to understand, speak with intention, and create space for one another.

We rise when we work together.

Download the document below.