Our iceberg is melting : changing and succeeding under any conditions

by John P. Kotter

Other authorsHolger Rathgeber (Author.)

Hardcover, 2005

Status

Available

Call number

1.44 K6 ou 2017

Genres

Business

Nonfiction

All Topics

Collection

Your library

Publication

New York, New York : Portfolio/Penguin, 2005.

Description

In this business management fable, one penguin notices something problem that could become a big problem for the whole colony, but the other penguins don't want to listen, so he must convince and enlist the help of others to get something done.

Media reviews

Pearson Book Shelf

As I have had a little bit of downtime in my first couple weeks here at Pearson I have used my time to abide by Pearson’s motto, always learning, and I have successfully completed my first book. The book I choose to read was a short fable called “Our Iceberg is Melting, changing and succeeding

under any conditions” by John Kotter. The book told the story of a penguin named Fred who noticed that the iceberg his penguin colony was living on had some serious melting problems. Fred was not part of the highest penguin counsel and by some, was not taken seriously in his finding. The book goes on about the leadership and change strategies that were used by Fred, Alice, and Louis to successfully change the traditions of the colony and move everyone to safety. The steps were based off of the 8 steps that are laid out in Kotter’s more famous book, “Leading Change”. The Head Penguin of the colony Louis executed this 8 step plan by listening to Fred’s findings then creating a sense of urgency in the colony to deal with the problem at hand. He then worked to form a carefully selected group in charge of working through the change, even if that meant not including long standing members of the penguin counsel and including members who were less well known but had complimentary skill sets. Louis then sat down with his committee to create a vision of what was to be done, and clearly communicated that vision to the entire colony, in ways that even the dumbest penguin would understand and accept. The committee then sat down to work, the goal was to remove any complexities in the plan so that it was practical. When the original buzz started to wear off and some penguins were not excited about the vision anymore they created an event to show that the plan would have a quick success and never let up once the buzz was back. Finally, they ensured that the changes would not be overcome by stubborn, long standing traditions, held within the colony. This process worked with the penguins and fortunately translates across species. Human behavior was exemplified by the situations in the book and the process proved to work against most, if not all, adversity that the counsel faced. It is always good to keep in mind as well that every member of a team has their own strengths; it’s like the quote, “Everyone’s a genius, but if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life thinking that it’s stupid.” –Albert Einstein. Identifying, but more importantly utilizing everyone’s strengths can lead to great things. As far as a recommendation for the book I would say it is a MUST READ. The lesson is easy to understand, but powerful in nature. It is a quick read it took less than two hours to get through 132 pages. But most importantly it will bring you to evaluate your position and ask yourself the right questions, such as “If my iceberg melting?” -Matt Anderson

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User reviews

LibraryThing member ashishg

If Kotter thought that he could do Johnson (of Who Moved My Cheese), well, he failed. In efforts to make ideas into a fable, he ended up creating a hardly interesting numbingly childish story. That aside, information given about change management is fine. But then, I am hardly good receipient of

management gyaan where obvious wisdom is passed on as ultimate truth. Steps of chage management? Create urgency, form team, create vision, communicate vision, empower people, get short-term win, don't give up, create new culture. There.

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16 more

LibraryThing member wilsonprojectplay

Another good book by John Kotter. A very quick read, but his points are will illustrated.

LibraryThing member LynnB

What a wonderful illustration of the power of story-telling. The authors use a parable about a colony of penguins who discover that their home is melting to illustrate how to lead and manage change within an organization. Easy to read, and written in a way that the messages are bound to stay with

you. As a bonus, it is beautifully illustrated.

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LibraryThing member jjmachshev

Yet another work read and this one sticks in my mind. Probably as much for the entertainment value as the educational one. How to identify and work with those resistant to change (for whatever reason) without letting them, yourself, or your work get sidetracked.

LibraryThing member oldbookswine

a rewriting of Who moved my cheese only on an iceberg

LibraryThing member sandrafelker

Use of a parable to demonstrate a point. A little cheesy - wish I hadn't bought it but not an absolute waste of time.

LibraryThing member rohetherington

This is an important book, delivered through a short entertaining fable.

Jack Welch said about organizations, “If the rate of change on the outside exceeds the rate of change on the inside, the end is near.” The rate of technological change today is staggering. Technology is enabling rapid

changes in the way clients and customers consume and engage with information, media and content - along with the tools they use. This is impacting industries one by one (e.g. news industry vs user generated content, music/movie industry vs peer-to-peer download sites, traditional gaming industry vs social gaming applications...)

Leading the same rate of change within organisations, to keep pace with the external environment, is an enormous challenge. We can learn a lot from the penguins in this story (who demonstrate Kotter's 8 steps to change management simply, clearly and with a staggering level of intelligence)!

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LibraryThing member elmyra

A colleague lent me this and I put it in my travel bags - it makes for light airport reading when you're on a 20-hour trip from San Jose, Costa Rica to Newcastle after a week of meetings. It's a good summary of Kotter's theory on change leadership for the travelling braindead, and an easy way to

get into Kotter if that's what you want.

Bechdel: pass, in a token sort of way.

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LibraryThing member phoenixcomet

Along the lines of Who Moved My Cheese, a fast read using allegory of penguins whose iceberg is melting to set up the 8 step process of successful change in an organization.
1. Create a sense of urgency
2. Pull together the guiding team
3. Develop the change vision and strategy
4. Communicate for

understanding
5. Empower others to act
6. Produce short-term wins
7. Don't let up
8. Create a new culture

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LibraryThing member alexdaw

I know that I should like this book and give it a good review but I didn't and I can't.

I think I would have preferred Kotter's original book about change management without all the animal nonsense that is in this.

This is the kind of book a manager goes out and buys for all their staff and says

"Read this! It won't take you long. You'll have it finished by this afternoon/tonight!" And they'd be correct. It doesn't take long to read at all. So for goodness sake read it and have a discussion with me if you will.

I just object to the use of "dumbing-down" or sugar-coating management speak. The analogy for me is lame (OMG I'm using teenager type words - it must have really touched a sensitive nerve in me!)

What we're talking about here is change-management. In this "picture book for grown ups" we're presented with a fable about a group of penguins who are sitting on a melting iceberg. Where can they go? Will they listen to the wise lone penguin voice in the wilderness who says they have to go, when it would be so much more comfortable to stay (and all drown and witness their kids dying?????)

Let's forget about the fact that penguins can swim. Let's forget about the fact that penguins can't talk. Just humour me for a second. If you are willing to suspend disbelief and go along with penguins being as silly as humans, then you would understand why I have a fundamental problem with this tale. It just doesn't ring true. Maybe I am too cynical. Maybe I am reading this too literally. I don't think so. I don't think I am like the very subtly (deep cynicism here folks) named "NoNo" character in the book.

I just hate being spoken to as if I am a 3rd-grader. In this book we are to believe that all the penguins, if they cooperate and pull-together will re-locate to a better iceberg - every five years.

Oh puhleeeeeezzzzz. Anyone who has been through change knows that not all the penguins get to go......and it's never another better iceberg. Animal Farm would be a better read at this point I think....a better iceberg for some.

I'm not saying I object to change. I just wish someone would call it like it is for once. Be honest. Tell it like it is. Acknowledge that there will be collateral damage for the sake of the survival of the fittest and all that.

What do you think? Am I a "NoNo". Should I read Kotter's other book?

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LibraryThing member StefanNijenhuis

Quick read. Read it in Dutch. This book tells a story about how a colony of penguins have to change drasticly and how they succeeed to do it. Some crucial roles are stereotyped and represented as individual penguins. The story is based on the principles of change management, described in another

book by the same author 'Leading Change'.

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LibraryThing member Cailin

Assigned reading for work!

LibraryThing member tloeffler

Fred is a curious emperor penguin in a penguin colony in Antarctica. One day, he discovers that their iceberg is showing signs of deterioration, and that it is in danger of melting or breaking into pieces. Fred manages to convince the Leadership Council of the problem, but how are they going to

convince all of the other penguins?

Well, they use John Kotter's Eight Steps to Change (of course, without realizing it) to show the other penguins the necessity for change. A cute, fun story with a moral.

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LibraryThing member VincentDarlage

That was a quick read... Kotter's theory of change management put into fable format. It was a fairly effective way to show the 8 steps of change. Of course, if you already know and understand the 8 steps, it's pretty predictable. LOL.

LibraryThing member realbigcat

Our Iceberg is Melting by John Kotter follows the fable based business and self help genre books like those by Spencer Johnson. This one I did not find as entertaining. The theme itself is about change and the fable involves a community of Emporer penguins and how they need to implement and embrace

change to move off their iceberg. It's a very short book but really it can be all summed up in the last 3 pages on the 8 step process to implement successful change. If you like these type of simple fable based books then you may want to give it a read.

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LibraryThing member MugsyNoir

Simplistic book on change management/realization. Good for someone being introduced to change management and organizational development for the first time.

LibraryThing member deblemrc

Full of platitudes, no new insights. Looks like they've read 10 management books about change, and then decided to put these in a short, fancy book. Can't understand why this is such a success book.

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