The metaphor
Why Penguins?
Ice and water. Have you ever seen a penguin walking on ice? Their legs somehow too short, they don\'t walk as much as totter. How can evolution produce such clumsy animals? However, in water it\'s a different story. They are fast, agile, playful swimmers who can swim 2000 kilometres on the energy of one liter of gasoline. No human machine comes close in terms of efficiency.
1st reading
The power of context. The penguin can be read as a metaphor for the power of context. Our (working) environment determines how much of our innate potential we can manifest, how elegantly we move about, and which of our qualities we can apply. In other words, depending on our context, we either waddle or we flow. If the context supports our characteristics/abilities then we can move effortlessly, if it does not, we struggle.
Questions
- What would be the equivalent of ice in your work? And what is the water? What could be a fish? And what the sea leopard?
- What are your core characteristics as a person? Are you creative, meticulous, patient-impatient, team worker - individual worker, ... And how do these characteristics fit to your work?
2nd reading
Coevolution. Penguins are also a product of an evolutionary process that has taken millions of years. Throughout this process penguins have adapted to their environment, but they have also shaped it. Evolution is actually coevolution.
Questions
- How can we change our culture centre so it better suits our needs?
- How can we adapt to the needs of our culture centre?
