Review of "Our Iceberg is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions," by John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber

 Review of

Our Iceberg is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions, by John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber, ISBN 9780312361983

Five out of five stars

A parable for change

 The use of a parable goes back millennia, one of the best at using them was Plato. His parable of the cave is very powerful and is still used to teach philosophy and our inherently limited understanding of the physical world. An effective parable does not have to rely on precise physical accuracy to be an effective learning tool.

 In this book, the main characters are sentient penguins that are capable of many human activities. They live on an iceberg in Antarctica and their world seems to be stable, so there is no perceived need to change. However, there are a few that realize that their iceberg is slowly melting and is in danger of breaking apart, leading to the deaths of most of the colony.

 Like all existential threats, there is a wide spectrum of views on the issue, from the deniers to those who push for dramatic change. Most are in the middle, willing to be convinced, but only after extensive persuasion. A small group pushes for further study and after a collection of solid arguments and discussion, scouts are sent out to look for a more stable iceberg. All people that have been in organizations that are pondering dramatic changes in response to what is perceived as a potential existential threat will recognize the various stages of debate, discussion and the movement to action.

 While the idea of sentient penguins behaving like humans may appear to be a bit absurd, it is an approach that amuses while teaching. Good parables educate and push the mental envelope, and this is one of them.

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