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Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and…
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Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions (original 2006; edition 2006)

by John Kotter

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1,3132414,352 (3.38)16
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.
Member:msheehy
Title:Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions
Authors:John Kotter
Info:St. Martin's Press (2006), Hardcover, 160 pages
Collections:Your library
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Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions by John Kotter (2006)

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» See also 16 mentions

English (23)  Norwegian (1)  All languages (24)
Showing 1-5 of 23 (next | show all)
This book was recommended and later mandatory to read in our class "Management Strategy" which sounds a little bit posh, but I guess the teacher is all that matters, and it was a hell of a teacher!
This one is the one where at any age you can read it. Well...like from age 9 or smth tho. It is a fable but when you stop for a moment for thinking there is always more depth to it, and if you will make notes from this book, it is really easy to remember in your daily life through relatable and memorable people (read penguins). Yes, it is a book about penguins and it...just...awesome and crazy and the author knows it, which makes it even more fun to read.
I would categorize this book into lists if you need refreshments about managing tasks when you are working in a team or a group environment with people, doesn't matter if you leading or not. i say if you need refreshment because I will probably read it once more. ( )
  AdamLajner | Jan 18, 2023 |
Use a fun story to walk through how to bring about needed organizational change. If you are dealing with change, it's a must read.
  JourneyPC | Sep 26, 2022 |
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. ( )
  deblemrc | Oct 18, 2021 |
Simplistic book on change management/realization. Good for someone being introduced to change management and organizational development for the first time. ( )
  MugsyNoir | Oct 27, 2017 |
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. ( )
  realbigcat | Aug 31, 2017 |
Showing 1-5 of 23 (next | show all)
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
added by pem-org-quality | editPearson Book Shelf, Matt Anderson (Apr 8, 2013)
 

» Add other authors (6 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
John Kotterprimary authorall editionscalculated
Rathgeber, Holgermain authorall editionsconfirmed
Johnson, SpencerForewordsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Mueller, PeterIllustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Information from the German Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
Es war einmal eine Pinguinkolonie, die in der klirrend kalten Antarktis auf einem Eisberg lebte - nicht weit von dem Ort, den wir heute als Cape Washington kennen.
Veränderungen erfolgreich bewältigen: Fabeln können lustig sein, doch wie bei unserer Pinguingeschichte besteht ihr tiefergehende Wirkung darin, dem Leser zu klügerem Handeln zu verhelfen.
Das Anliegen dieses Buches: Im Jahre 1996 schrieb John Kotter Leading Change, das von Executive General zum Managementbuch des Jahres gekürt und in den folgenden zehn Jahren der führende Bestseller zum Thema "Veränderungen" innerhalb von Unternehmen wurde.
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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.

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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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