Bennie Graves iceberg melting summary, submitted to William Allan Kritsonis, PhD
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Transcript of Bennie Graves iceberg melting summary, submitted to William Allan Kritsonis, PhD
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
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
OUR ICEBERG IS MELTING 2
“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.
OUR ICEBERG IS MELTING 3
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.
OUR ICEBERG IS MELTING 4
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,
OUR ICEBERG IS MELTING 5
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
OUR ICEBERG IS MELTING 6
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