Understanding The Organisational Zoo

Based on The Organisational Zoo: A Survival Guide for Working with Humans by Dr. Arthur Shelley

Summary

The Organisational Zoo is a behavioural metaphor framework developed by Dr. Arthur Shelley, an Australian knowledge management and organisational behaviour expert. The book invites readers to explore corporate environments as ecosystems where people adopt archetypal “animal” behaviours to navigate politics, power, and collaboration.

Each animal represents a distinct behavioural style—from strategic and sly 🦊 Foxes to dependable 🐶 Dogs or dominant 🐂 Bulls. The model is not meant to label individuals permanently, but rather to highlight how people behave under pressure, in teams, and in leadership contexts.

Dr. Shelley’s approach is playful yet diagnostic, offering a rich vocabulary to discuss cultural alignment, team composition, influence dynamics, and transformation risks.

In the context of consulting, these archetypes help decode client behaviour, anticipate resistance, and design more effective interventions. When combined with psychodynamic frameworks like those found in Games People Play, they provide a multi-dimensional view of human systems at work.

Organisational Zoo Animal Archetypes Summary

Animal	Core Traits	Strengths	Watchouts	Common Consulting Game Roles
🐘 Elephant	Institutional memory, slow to change	Wise, consistent, holds history	Resistant to innovation, stuck in past	“We Tried That in 1997”
🦊 Fox	Political, cunning, strategic	Sees systems, plans ahead	Manipulative, avoids transparency	“The Hidden Agenda Audit”
🐍 Snake	Subtle, influential, manipulative	Navigates power quietly	Undermines trust	“I Know What’s Best”
🐅 Tiger	Commanding, powerful, top of hierarchy	Decisive, bold	Distant, intimidating	“Executive Hide-and-Seek”
🦚 Peacock	Flashy, appearance-driven	Charismatic, engaging	Superficial, style > substance	“Make It Pretty So We Don’t Use It”
🐒 Monkey	Energetic, disruptive, playful	Creative, spontaneous	Distracting, avoids depth	“Look Over There!”
🐻 Bear	Protective, dominant, loyal	Stabilizes teams, ensures safety	Overcontrolling, paternalistic	“I Protect So I Control”
🐂 Bull	Aggressive, driven, results-focused	Action-oriented, direct	Intolerant, bulldozes people	“Move It or Lose It”
🐶 Dog	Loyal, approval-seeking	Dependable, team-focused	Needs validation, avoids conflict	“Look at Me”
🦉 Owl	Wise, methodical, principled	Expert, structured, knowledge-driven	Pedantic, rigid	“Theory vs. Wisdom”
🐨 Koala	Gentle, passive, comfort-oriented	Stable, calming	Avoids conflict, delays action	“No Means Maybe Later”
🐢 Turtle	Withdrawn, cautious, avoids conflict	Observant, calm under pressure	Defensive, disengaged	“Move It or Lose It” (resisting)
🐓 Rooster	Boastful, competitive, status-seeking	Visible leadership, confidence	Egotistical, demands attention	“Goldilocks Feedback”
🐑 Sheep	Follower, group-aligned, compliant	Cooperative, adaptable	Lacks initiative, needs direction	“I Know What’s Best”
🦅 Eagle	Visionary, high-level, strategic thinker	Big-picture, future-oriented	Disconnected from detail	“I’m Too High-Level for This”
🐺 Wolf	Independent, loyal to tribe, protective	Tactical, team-bonded, resilient	Rogue, hard to align	“The Lone Wolf Justified”
🦝 Raccoon	Clever, subtle, lurks in background	Resourceful, adaptive	Evasive, avoids responsibility	“Just Between Us”
🦘 Kangaroo	Reactive, bouncy, attention-shifting	Fast starter, adaptable	Inconsistent, avoidant under pressure	“It’s Urgent—Until It Isn’t”

Integration Note

This appendix serves as a reference companion to the consulting games and team dynamics explored in this book. As a consultant, coach, or change leader, using the Organisational Zoo can help you:

• Decode resistance without judgment
• Align teams based on complementary behaviours
• Design more humane, productive interventions

Let the animals speak—and more importantly, let them be seen.