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| Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions | 
 enlarge | Authors: John Kotter, Holger Rathgeber, Spenser Johnson
Creator: Peter Mueller
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $9.47
You Save: $10.48 (53%)
New (60) Used (39) Collectible (5) from $7.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  66 reviews
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 160
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.6
ISBN: 031236198X
Dewey Decimal Number: 650.1
EAN: 9780312361983
Publication Date: September 5, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: shelf wear on edges
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Amazon.com Review
About the Author
John Kotter has been on the faculty at Harvard Business School since 1972. He is the author of eleven award-winning titles and frequently gives speeches and seminars at Harvard and around the world. He lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Holger Rathgeber spent his early professional career in Asia. He has worked in industry since the early 1990's and is now with one of the leading medical technology companies, Bectom Dickinson. Raised in Frankfurt, Germany, Rathgeber currently resides in White Plains, New York.  | | Watch a video clip featuring author John Kotter |
Product Description
Most of the denizens of the Antarctic penguin colony sneer at Fred, the quiet but observant scout who detects worrying signs that their home, an iceberg, is melting. Fred must cleverly convince and enlist key players, such as Louis, the head penguin; Alice, the number two bird; the intractable NoNo the weather expert; and a passle of school-age penguins if he is to save the colony. Their delightfully told journey illuminates in an unforgettable way how to manage the necessary change that surrounds us all. Simple explanatory material following the fable enhances the lasting value of these lessons. Our Iceberg Is Melting is at once charming, accessible and profound; a treat for virtually any reader.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 61 more reviews...
 A poor man's "who moved my cheese"... January 9, 2009
...and you get what you pay for. The parable was really cute, but I kept waiting for the lessons and applications. Part of my job is acting as a change agent and convincing people to change, so I am always on the lookout for good books on simplifying the change process. This was not one of them. Cute story, clear concepts, but no lessons for real-life application.
 Today's Business Thinking December 21, 2008
I see the thinking that these penguin's had today in many businesses. The majority of those people are older more mature individuals who are set in their ways and do not want change. This book was and is an easy read plus it gives the reader hope that any organization can change with the right leadership. As with the penguin's, someone has to take charge an lead the rest of the organization. If you are ordering this book, I assume that you are that person! So enjoy!!!
Mirror of our 9-5 life October 24, 2008
This is a DIFFERENT book. It made me see myself, my subordinates, colleagues and bosses in the characters. It fully utilizes fable "tools" to guide us through the process of change. Choosing the pengiun, that resourceless creature, was very intelligent in order to prove that change is ALWAYS possible - when there is a will there is way.
Great book September 21, 2008
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
I have read John Kotter's previous work on leading change so I was curious as to whether his concepts could be effectively conveyed in fable form. To my delight, I discovered that Kotter put his own findings about the power of stories to work to create an engaging story that conveys his principles about organizational change more powerfully. By reading this book, my staff and colleagues remember the steps and continue to be guided by them as we transform our work group and help to transform our company. I highly recommend this book!
The only other book I've seen do this so well is Squawk!: How to Stop Making Noise and Start Getting Results, which uses a seagull manager to illustrate the problem managers are having these days with swooping in at the last minute, squawking up a storm and dumping orders riddled with formulaic advice upon their people. Highly recommended as well.
Applicable to Nonprofit organizations too September 16, 2008
I read this book after seeing a review in the New York Times. It is a quick read, and I totally fell for the fable, as a way to tell a story with a message.
I realized after reading Our Iceburg is Melting, that this process sounded familiar, and remembered that I had Kotter's Leading Change on my bookshelf from the time I was working on my MPA. So I took that book off the shelf and read that one again. It reinforced the story of the penguins. I also checked out Kotter's web site www.ouriceburgismelting.com, which has some really cute videos that illustrate the specific steps in the 8 step change process.
There are a variety of testimonials and training videos there, which I found useful. From that web site I learned that Kotter had just finished a book on the first step A Sense of Urgency. This step, which is by far the hardest to accomplish, was the real issue for me. I bought that book too.
I have been working in the nonprofit or government sector my whole career and realize that change is hard everywhere, but especially in places that are not motivated by money. How do you get complacent organizations to move forward and take risks? Kotter spends virtually half of Our Iceburg is melting on the first step, creating urgency.
Fred, the middle management penguin who identifies there is a problem (melting), has to manage up and down the penguin food chain to make people understand the iceburg is indeed melting. He is thwarted by No No, the penguin who resists change, actively and passively. No No is my favorite in the entire book, if only because Kotter has personalized through this penguin, the folks who are basic blockers for change in organizations where I consult. Kotter offers some great insights in A Sense of Urgency about how to deal with No Nos (and those of their ilk) that could be useful in a nonprofit context.
Kotter's 8 step change process makes sense. This fable is an easy way to engage a group of people in the many steps needed to make organizational change happen. This book is worth your time.
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