Circles: the right people, doing the right work, at the right time
Posted 10th April 2026
Circles: the right people, doing the right work, at the right time
In education and across organisations more widely, we often lose time and energy through layers of approval, repeated meetings, and decisions that move slowly through hierarchy. Circles offer a different way of working, one that prioritises clarity, trust, and impact.
Circles are self-managed groups of colleagues brought together around a shared area of work or priority. They are designed to ensure the right people are doing the right work at the right time, together.
Instead of decisions being escalated up and down a structure, they are made directly by the people with the most relevant expertise and context. This allows organisations to move faster, make better decisions, and stay closely connected to the work that matters most.
How circles work
Circles are built on a simple principle: expertise sits where decisions should be made.
That means colleagues are involved because of what they know and contribute, not because of their position in a hierarchy. This helps remove unnecessary bottlenecks, reduce duplication, and ensure that time is focused where it has the greatest impact.
Rather than long chains of approval, circles enable teams to act with clarity and ownership, supported by shared goals and transparent information.
Types of circles
We use three main types of circles to organise our work:
- Big move circles: focused on key strategic priorities across the organisation
- Standing circles: responsible for ongoing operational delivery
- Transformation circles: designed to drive rapid improvement and innovation
Each plays a different role, but all are grounded in the same belief: work is most effective when it is led by those closest to it.
Rhythm, clarity and accountability
Circles operate with a simple and consistent rhythm to ensure focus and alignment:
- Regular connection to keep work moving forward
- Weekly alignment to make decisions and solve problems
- Termly review to reflect on impact and reset direction
We also continually ask whether we are:
- delivering more impact than before
- focusing time on the work that matters most
- giving colleagues the information they need to do their jobs well
If not, we change.
Radical transparency
A core part of circles is radical transparency.
In many organisations, information becomes something that is controlled or filtered through hierarchy. In a circles-based system, we take a different view: information should flow to those who need it to do their work well.
This does not mean sharing everything with everyone. It means being intentional and responsible about making the right information accessible, understandable, and timely.
Leaders therefore act as stewards of information, ensuring colleagues have the context they need to make strong decisions.
Decision-making in circles
Decision-making is designed to be open, structured, and inclusive of expertise.
Within each circle there are:
- Members: responsible for the work and decisions
- Advisors: who provide expert input and challenge
- Observers: anyone who wants to understand how decisions are made
If additional expertise is needed, it is brought into the circle directly, ensuring decisions are always made with the right voices in the room.
Why this matters
Circles are about more than structure. They represent a shift in how we think about organisations: from hierarchy to expertise, from control to trust, and from slow processes to meaningful action.
They help create an organisation that is more responsive, more transparent, and more focused on impact.
Watch the series
We’ve explored the thinking behind circles in more detail in our video series on our OpenSource YouTube channel.