Wheel of Power/Privilege
The Wheel of Power/Privilege is a diagram and reflection exercise in which people locate themselves on a wheel whose segments are dimensions of social identity, such as citizenship, gender, wealth, language and ability, with positions nearer the centre holding more power. The graphic is widely credited to Sylvia Duckworth (2020), adapted from a diagram by the Canadian Council for Refugees, and rests on Kimberlé Crenshaw's concept of intersectionality. The workshop form described here follows Philippa Collin's tool Socially Inclusive Research in the Transition Makers Toolbox, where private reflection on the wheel is followed by story circles and by teams drawing a wheel for the people they will work with.
Facilitation script
- 1
Introduce social identity, intersectionality and the wheel; name its North American bias and collect missing dimensions.
10 min - 2
State the privacy and opt-out rules, hand out wheels and envelopes.
5 min - 3
Private reflection on the wheel with answers on sticky notes kept in the envelope.
15 min - 4
Facilitator shares their own position and a short story, then gives quiet time to choose a story.
10 min - 5
Story circles of four: three minutes per teller without interruption.
15 min - 6
Flashbacks: each listener gives each teller up to 15 seconds on what was most memorable.
10 min - 7
Plenary debrief on how position shapes experience and what this means for the group's work.
15 min
Tips
Decide in advance what you will share as facilitator, because the group will match your level of openness and no further.
Keep the flashbacks to observation of what was memorable; interpretation and advice are out.
Have a quiet alternative ready, such as continuing the written reflection, for anyone who does not want to join a circle, and present it as an equal option.
Common pitfalls
Asking people to state or show their position publicly, which forces disclosure of things like health, sexuality or residency status and can do real harm
Presenting the wheel as a ranking of individuals, which produces guilt or defensiveness and ends the reflection
Using the standard graphic without discussing what does not fit the local context, so participants dismiss the whole model as foreign
Letting listeners respond to stories with advice, comparison or debate, which makes the next teller share less
Closing without a debrief or a route to follow-up support, leaving people alone with whatever the exercise stirred up
Variations
The 30-minute version stops after the private reflection and a short plenary conversation about the model itself. The source also describes an optional embodied variant in which the class stands in the formation of the wheel; it is strictly voluntary and only suitable where the atmosphere clearly supports it. Remotely, send the wheel as a file, keep reflections on paper at home and use breakout rooms of four for the circles. Teams preparing community or user research can run only the application step if they have done the personal reflection before.
Where it fits
When to use it
A team is about to do research, design or engagement work with people whose social position differs from their own
A group needs a concrete, shared picture of intersectionality before discussing inclusion in its own work
Participants have chosen to attend and know in advance that the session involves personal reflection
There is enough time to brief, reflect and debrief without rushing, and a facilitator experienced with sensitive conversations
You want personal reflection to lead into a practical question, such as how to reach and speak with a specific group
When not to use it
Attendance is compulsory and trust in the group is low: people will either perform or shut down, so start with a lower-stakes format such as Diversity Welcome
You want to analyse who holds influence over a decision or campaign: that is Power Mapping, a different tool with a similar name
You have 15 minutes in a packed agenda: the wheel opens questions that need a proper close
The group includes people in direct reporting lines and no agreement on confidentiality, where disclosure could have consequences at work
The facilitator has no experience holding conversations about identity and no co-facilitator to help if someone becomes distressed
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is Wheel of Power/Privilege?▾
The Wheel of Power/Privilege is a diagram that arranges dimensions of social identity, such as citizenship, gender, wealth, language and ability, as segments of a wheel, with positions closer to the centre holding more power in society. As an exercise, people locate themselves on each segment in private and then reflect on how the combination shapes their experience. It is a common way to make intersectionality concrete.
Who created the Wheel of Power/Privilege?▾
The widely shared graphic is credited to Sylvia Duckworth, who published it in 2020 as an adaptation of a diagram by the Canadian Council for Refugees. The underlying idea of intersecting identities comes from Kimberlé Crenshaw's work on intersectionality, first published in 1989. Check the terms of the graphic before reproducing it.
Do participants have to share where they are on the wheel?▾
No. The reflection is private and anything shared afterwards is voluntary. In the format described here, answers stay in a personal envelope and people choose which part of their story, if any, to tell in a small circle.
Is the wheel valid outside North America?▾
Only partly. The common version reflects North American norms, and some dimensions matter more, less or differently elsewhere. A good session names this at the start and asks the group which dimensions to add or change, and project teams can draw their own wheel for the people they work with.
How long does the exercise take?▾
The individual reflection with a short introduction takes about 30 minutes. With story circles and a debrief it runs to about 80 minutes, and adding the step where teams draw a wheel for their own project takes it to a little over two hours.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from Sylvia Duckworth, adapted from the Canadian Council for Refugees; workshop format by Philippa Collin, Transition Makers Toolbox.