A Peacock in the Land of Penguins

A Peacock in the Land of Penguins echoes the dilemma facing businesses across the country -- how to manage the increasing diversity of the workforce and how to capture the talent, creativity, energy, and commitment of all employees. Written in a charming, engaging style, the book is a fable about a peacock who struggles to be itself while surrounded by penguins. Can these seemingly opposite birds work productively together? This new, expanded edition of the international bestseller will help managers understand and maximize the potential of their workforce.

 (9 customer reviews)

I am an attorney practicing labor and employment law and have used this book in diversity training. It is the best I have read, and believe it conveys the benefits of diversity in a simple and easy to understand way. All levels of employees, from rank and file to top executives, can (and in my experience do)relate to its message.

The best thing about a fable is that they can be used to deliver harsh messages in soft tones. In this story the penguins are bureaucratic bound managers that are unwilling to tolerate any change, even if it is the mere mention of change. The peacock is a hotshot (in the good sense) new hire that is full of energy, new ideas, creativity and purpose. Similar dynamic individuals added to the organizations are an eagle, hawk, mockingbird, and a swan. All started jobs in an organization run by penguins where the penguins professed a desire to execute some changes. At first the penguins were happy to see the infusion of "new blood."
However, over time the penguins grew insecure over the prospects of change and together they forced out all of the "unusual" birds. Although the nonconformists suffered a bit, they managed to gather together and form a dynamic and creative group that they called the "Land of Opportunity."
As the material in the afterword demonstrates, this is an...Read more

I did not buy this book. It was given to me by an associate as an `idea' for a corporate-wide human resources conference.

As a corporate director, I was flabbergasted by the simpleton tone of this book. Some pages only contained 6 to 10 words while others may contain more words but made little sense. The theory behind this book is that people are different and we should allow diversity to flourish in order to make the company and the employee happy. This is an idea that any thinking manager caught up with a couple of generations ago.

It is no wonder that our creativity and abilities to sustain long term profitability - not to mention our adaptability and flexibility - is going down the drain. It is not only this book but others I have seen that are very similar. They start by developing a catchy theme and then building a one-trick pony system around the theme. It is a cartoonish way to manage but I suppose in this twitter world anything with heft is dealt...Read more