Circles & Diamonds ©

What is it.

Circles & Diamonds is a practical dialogue model that helps leaders and teams intentionally shape conversations from start to finish — so meetings lead to shared understanding, quality decisions, and aligned action.

Kieran White began working with teams and groups in 2003. This extensive field work with hundreds of teams, combined with intentional model-building conversations with global thought leaders, including Dr. David Kantor and Professor Amy C. Edmondson from 2017, contributed to the development of the Circles & Diamonds model.

The Circles & Diamonds model has been tested and evolved in the field with leaders and teams since 2018 and was first presented publicly in 2021 during a webinar for an audience in China with Professor Amy C. Edmondson.

What it is not.

Circles & Diamonds is not a model for all conversations. It is not needed where members are providing updates to inform. It is only needed where true teaming is needed, where the topic is of relevance to those present, and where their candid contributions are needed.

The two speaking shapes

The Circle shape represents dialogue that opens up — inviting participation, surfacing perspectives, and building trust.

A Circle shape on its own often leads to circular conversations where participation and speaking up is the goal rather than shaping high-quality conversations which lead to aligned decisions, higher levels of trust and connection, and a culture of learning.

Circles need Diamonds.

The Diamond shape represents purposeful progress — with the field of contribution initially expanding to gather important perspectives, then narrowing deliberately and transparently, given ever present time constraints, to clarify what matters, test for alignment, and set direction.

Together, these guiding shapes make visible how high-quality conversations where participation and ‘contact’ is required, need to move from diverging to converging, and how leaders and teams can guide that movement deliberately rather than by chance, or allow the teams efforts to fail as a result of low-quality conversational skills.

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*Setting the Stage, Inviting Participation and Responding Productively adapted from Amy Edmondson’s work

Why it matters.

In a psychologically safe workplace, people are not concerned by interpersonal fear. They feel they can be candid and share their ideas, even when there is a chance, they might be wrong or address a sensitive topic.

It is a climate where people are comfortable being themselves and expressing their views. They share their mistakes and concerns without the fear of retribution or being embarrassed by them. They ask questions when they are unsure about something. They are unafraid of being humiliated by their leader or coworkers; they know they will not be blamed, humiliated, or dismissed for sharing their views.

A psychologically safe workplace reports and deals with mistakes quickly. It also course-corrects, innovates, and operates effectively in a complex and changing environment.

How it creates impact.

• Supports a learning organisation
• Enables productive challenge
• Promotes contribution, adaptation and engagement
• Reduces avoidable mistakes
• Reduces psychosocial hazards
• Drives innovation and encourages ‘intelligent failures’
• Reduces ‘impression management’