The Penguin Circle - A Symbol For Teamwork and Leadership

Hello and welcome to a new post. Today we have leadership and teamwork as the main topic, always in relation to the plastics industry. Read my leadership series here. 

The Penguin Circle - Teamwork and Leadership (Findoutaboutplastics.com / Herwig Juster)

Penguins - fighting the chilling freeze by huddling

Emperor penguins have their home in the Antarctic which is known to be a harsh environment with chilling temperatures. Penguins huddle together to heat up and stay warm. They also take turns to be in the center of the huddle. Researchers found it can get up to 37°C in the center of the huddle which can be too hot for the penguins. Also for breeding the circle formation is important since the male penguin takes care of the egg which is placed between the legs. 

Why is the Penguin circle so important?

What is valid for penguins is also valid for us: forming circles and huddling protects us from harsh cold conditions. It is better to be in the circle, otherwise you will freeze and face the danger of not surviving. The circle has several meanings. Most of us know the “Circle of Life” philosophy (life starts at the end and ends in the beginning), however the aforementioned penguin example shows the circle as a powerful symbol for teamwork and reaching goals together. 

Plastics industry - is the circle closed? 

In our plastics industry environment, tasks became complex and multi-leveled so that working together in teams is essential. It is in particular the interfaces between project stages, product development stages or production that bring challenges. It is well reported that other industries such as automotive, have to deal most of the time with interface challenges. Also, circular economy embraces to keep polymers in a loop.

Altogether, developing a feeling and empathy for the other working areas will help to close the circle and make the upcoming tasks more successful. 

Thanks for reading and #findoutaboutplastics

Greetings, 

Herwig 

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Literature:

[1] https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2015/12/the-social-dynamics-of-penguin-huddles-are-more-complex-than-we-thought/

[2] https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-how-can-penguins-stay-warm-in-the-freezing-cold-waters-of-antarctica-116831#:~:text=Male%20emperor%20penguins%20gather%20close,huddle%20is%20below%20%2D30%E2%84%83.