Group Members Michael Baker Ronny Ceballos Eddie Martinez
Anna Lawn Priscilla Plange Preston Ford
General Idea Hugh Mann ZOO is a new age zoo on Mars where humans are the attraction and animals are the employees. The cat is out of the bag, and news about the current manager’s retirement is spreading throughout the zoo like a wild fire. Everyone is sad to hear that the management position will once more be open for applicants, but they all have one question on their minds who is going to take it? There are five different employees competing for the new position of manager, Tony Turtle, Bobby Bear, Shane Shark, Fay Fox and the Olga Owl. All of the employees have their own opinions of what makes a good manager and bring their own styles of management to fruition as the season goes on. After their trials and tribulations, they come to understand that a good manager does not use just one style of management but rather a mixture of them all.
General Concept Our target audience is anyone in the workforce aspiring to become a manager. The setting is a small zoo in which the animals, which metaphorically represent different management styles, work. The concept of the show is to illustrate the different management styles while explaining the pros and cons associated with each. Throughout the season, the audience will begin to understand that an ideal manager is one who uses all these diverse
management styles in harmony. With the current manager retiring, all the zoo workers are applying for the position and bringing their own special twists to the table, which prove to be useful in certain situations but destructive in others. At the end of the show, a manager is brought in from outside the zoo who possesses all the positive traits from each of the management positions shown throughout the season, and the zoo is once again running in harmony.
Characters Tony the Turtle: Tony employs a style of management that puts little emphasis on resolving conflicts or problems that naturally occur. He avoids facing problems headon and only reluctantly makes important decisions. He believes this delay and reservedness give him an aura of power, while also allowing him time to think things over thoroughly before acting. However, sometimes his procrastination cause initially minor problems needlessly to boil up and grow out of proportion. Bobby Bear: Bobby’s physical traits make him an excellent competitor. Everyone loves a cuddly teddy bear, and, well aware of this fact, Bobby uses it to his advantage in the work place. He places importance on personal relations around the Zoo, often to the detriment of important, nonpersonal managementrelated issues that arise. Shane Shark: Shane is a natural competitor, goal oriented and often unyielding. His coworkers describe him as aggressive, though he can be quite effective. Those working
with him are sometimes left with the feeling that their own opinions, skill sets, and values are not to be considered in the approach to even mundane tasks. In order to accomplish goals and reinforce his position of power, Shane may even resort to threats, leaving coworkers stressed and with a low sense of morale though the job is done. Fay Fox: Fay is a natural compromiser, placing emphasis in her approach to problems equally on the task at hand and the relationships involved in the process. She places importance on skills such as listening and understanding, and tries to take each side of a situation into consideration before taking action. Her reasonability lends her respect and even a sense of power from those with whom she works; however, compromises can work negatively, too, leaving all those involved in a decision or confrontation feeling as though they lost. Olga the Owl: In general, Owls have quite the reputation for being intelligent in the animal kingdom. Through their trustworthiness and dependability, they find themselves in positions of responsibility perhaps as a bank manager or head of state. Olga uses these qualities to persuade her fellow colleagues that she is the best person for the position. She thrives on trust and balance, and expects those working with her to hold these same values. However, this approach to the professional environment is also timeconsuming and such collaboration, especially in larger groups, may quickly lead to fatigue.