Running head: OUR ICEBERG IS MELTING 1

Bennie Lee Graves

EDUL 7063 – Philosophy of Leadership in Education

Book Review: Our Iceberg Is MeltingKotter, J. (2005)

Friday, February 11, 2011

Dr. William Kritsonis, PhDProfessor

PhD Program in Educational LeadershipPVAMU

The Texas A&M University SystemDelco 233

wakritsonis@pvamu.edu936-261-3530

Abstract

What does change lead to? A plethora of questions arise when anyone is in a fix. “Our

Iceberg Is Melting” is a simple book narrating a delightful story of a colony of penguins. The

purpose of this paper is to shed light on the theme of change through a fable of a penguin colony

in Antarctica.

Keywords: change, plethora, narrating, fable, colony

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“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones

most responsive to change.” Heraclitus, Greek Philosopher

About five years ago Ketter released a book entitled, “Our Iceberg is Melting”. The

book is a great fable about working and living in an ever changing society. This enchanting

story about a penguin colony in Antarctica exemplifies important truths about how deal with the

issue of postmodern view of change. Faced with certain tragedy Kotter illustrates how the

penguins, identified the problem, created urgency, developed a team-building structure and

stepped outside the box. Fred the main character notices a problem that might destroy the lives

of many penguins that live in the colony. However, he does not have a position on the Group of

Ten Council or the reputation to request time to speak at the town meeting. If he was allowed to

speak at the town meeting, he would not be taken seriously. Meanwhile, Fred ponders how he

could get the Leadership Council to listen and to buy into the problem without embarrassing

himself and ruining his reputation (Kotter, 2005).

According to Knight (2007) the penguins are living happily on their iceberg as they have

done for many years. Then one curious penguin discovers a potentially devastating problem

threatening their home - and pretty much no one listens to him. The characters in this fable are

like people we recognize, even ourselves. The story is one of resistance to change and heroic

action, confusion and insight, seemingly intractable obstacles and the most clever tactics for

dealing with those obstacles.

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Two of the birds on the Leadership Council loved to debate the validity of any

statistics. And they loved to debate for hours and hours and hours and

hours. These two were the more vocal advocates lobbing for longer meeting.

(p.22)

It is a story that is occurring in different forms around us today - but the penguins handle

change a great deal better than most of us. After all, this particular colony is a very close colony.

Yet, Fred gains the help of fellow penguins Alice, Louis, and Buddy his first support and

cheering squad of penguins. “Buddy produced the bottle. It was clearly broken from ice that

had grown too big to fit inside. I’m convinced, Buddy told them” (Kotter, 2005, p. 41). Fred,

had a vision that no other penguin saw; this made him the newest laughing stock of the penguin

community. The visionary (Fred) discovered the disastrous problem could only highlight the

problem and provide the evidence needed to show the threat is real, but he lacked the solutions

needed to assist the colony.

Even though the story is simple and easy to read, the morals and ideals are mentioned has

a universal reach. First, they gather a team of efficient thinkers. Another two penguins, namely,

Buddy and Professor join them. The set of five penguins are considered a good team as each of

them has a unique quality. “It is a reasonable question, the Head Penguin said, Look at the five

of us, Professor. Define the challenge clearly. Make a list in your mind of each of our strengths.

Deduce an answer to your own question” (Kotter, 2005 p. 48). Kotter infuses his eight principles

of problem solving in his story. For example:

1. Set the state – create a sense of urgency.

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2. Pull together the guiding group – make sure there is a powerful diverse group guiding

the change.

3. Decide what to do – develop the change vision and strategy, clarify how the future

will be different from the past.

4. Make it happen – communicate for understanding, make sure that as many as possible

understand and accept the vision and strategy.

5. Empower others to act – remove as many barriers as possible.

6. Create short term wins – create some visible unambiguous successes as soon as

possible.

7. Don’t let up – press harder and faster after the first success.

8. Make it stick – create a new culture – hold on to the new way of behaving.

Having worked a Blinn College for twenty-one years, I have been asked to reinvent

myself, the work environment, the work I do, and my interpersonal relationships every day.

How can I be more accepting of change? Well, it is human nature to want to hold on to the

familiar and stable concepts. Nevertheless, it is exactly that refusal to accept change that can

prevent one from succeeding. Yet, when one reflect on the human body, it consists of fifty

trillion cells. The cells contain enough iron to make a three-inch nail and enough lead to make

600 pencils. The eyes can determine up to 10,000 different colors. The tongue has 10, 000 taste

buds that allow one to differentiate up to 500 tastes. The brain contains 15 billion cells to allow

one the ability to manipulate the information contained within it in creative and innovative ways.

This is a living example of change and renewal. It is such that one has a chance to reflect on the

body as a mirror that helps one to see that the ever-changing environment is altering every

minute of the day (Estabrooks, 2009).

As an administrator at Blinn College, it is imperative that I am innovative,

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flexible, and adaptable. I have learned that one must remain flexible and be prepared for the

unexpected. Should the unexpected become an obstacle, be willing to make some midcourse

corrections. Success is frequently not a straight road. There are often many bumps and curves

with roadblocks and detours when least expected. After reading this book, I accept the need for

change when it becomes clear that I have done all I can do in a situation that is not working.

Acceptance is the hard part.

I often tell my students that negative feelings, a sense of helplessness, and lowered self-

esteem result when something you are doing is not working out, but you are afraid to make a

change. An unhappy young adult may continue without help in a relationship that makes both

partners miserable because one or the other is afraid of the changes that the relationship

counseling might require. An individual who has been offered a new and better job or a transfer

to a higher-paying job out of the state may turn down the offer because he or she fears change.

Trying to avoid change by ignoring a problem can be self-destructive. Negative feelings breed

more negative feelings, encouraging the mistaken belief that a bad situation can only get worse

(Kanar, 2011).

Singleton (2006) states that we tend to respond to change the same way we respond to

anything we perceive as a threat: by flight or fight. Our first reaction is flight---we try to avoid

change if we can. We do what futurist Faith Popcorn calls “cocooning”: we seal ourselves off

from those around us and try to ignore what is happening. This can happen in the workplace just

by being passive. We don’t volunteer for teams or committees; we don’t make suggestions, ask

questions, or offer constructive criticism. But the changes ahead are inescapable. Those who

“cocoon” themselves will be left behind. Our Iceberg Is Melting, does a great job showing that

most problems be it personal or work related under any condition can be solved with the right

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strategies in place and when it is properly supported by those in key positions to effect positive

change and can make it happen.

The air of the penguin colony is indeed electric with confusion and conflicts as very few

penguins can spot change and are ready to get complacency down and adapt to it while others are

unfortunately headstrong enough to believe that their iceberg will never melt. To them,

everything will always be the same, and those who talk about change are “insane.” Furthermore,

the fable’s setting in the cold Antarctica is intriguingly used as an irony. Underneath those huge

mountains of cold and spine-chilling iceberg burns the incessant heat of conflicts and mistrust

among penguins of different temperaments, beliefs, and behaviors (Kotter, 2005).

In summary, for some people resisting change, there may be multiple reasons. Adding to

this complexity is the fact that sometimes the stated reason hides the real more deeply personal

reason. As an administrator, I need to recognize that people work through a psychological

change process as they give up the old and come to either embrace or reject the new. Typically,

they may experience an initial denial, then begin to realize that the change cannot be ignored.

Strong feelings may emerge, such as fear, anger, helplessness and frustration. Finally, the person

accepts the change either negatively, with feelings of resignation and complacency, or positively,

with renewed enthusiasm to capitalize on the changes. It is my responsibility to watch out for

people who get “stuck” in one phase. I must offer my support. Allow space for that individual

to work through the stages and give the individual time to draw breath and listen with empathy.

As one writer said:

Our foreparents lived through sea changes, upheavals so cataclysmic, so

devastating we may never appreciate the fortitude and resilience required

to survive them. The next time you feel resistant, think about them and what

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they faced---and about what they fashioned from a fraction of the options we

have. They blended old and new worlds, creating family, language, cuisine and

new life-affirming rhythms, and they encouraged their children to keep on

stepping toward an unknown but malleable future. (Singleton, p.2)

References

Estabrooks, A. (2009). Dealing with change. Retrieved from http://www.zeromillion.

com./business.change.html

Kanar, C. (2011). The confident student. Boston, MA: Wadsworth.

Kotter, J. (2005). Our iceberg is melting. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press.

Murphy, M. (2011). Our iceberg is melting. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Book-

Review---Our-Iceberg-Is-Melting&id=447009

Singleton, S. (2006). Coping with change: Develop your personal strategy. Retrieved from

http://ezinearticles.com/?Coping-wth-Change:-Develop-Your-Personal-

Strategy&id=51313