Our Iceberg Is Melting

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Our Iceberg is Melting is an enjoyable read on several different levels. Author John Kotter has essentially formulated an extremely didactic tale which is also pleasing in its depiction of principles of organizational leadership. There are several different facets of this work of literature that Kotter deserves commendation for. Chief among these is the fact that he is able to provide concrete illustrations for a number of the principles that he initially compiled in a previous effort, Leading Change. With Our Iceberg is Melting, the author demonstrates how these specific concepts can actually be applied to a scenario in which effective leadership resulting in a fundamental change in an organization is necessary -- and, is ultimately able to be achieved.

Still, one of the fact about Kotter's approach in Our Iceberg is Melting that makes this "version" of the similar ideas he elucidated in Leading Change so successful is the fact that unlike the latter manuscript, the former is decidedly non-academic. Anyone can enjoy this quaint fable about a group of penguins existing in Antartica, whose way of life is threatened by a natural disaster. The plot could make for a fairly convincing Disney fairy tale, replete with a happy ending and delightful characters such as little Sally Ann, the young kindergarten student who aids in a scouting expedition to find a new iceberg. The plot and the characterization of many of the penguins are responsible for the boo's entertainment value, as is the timeless story of a group who must relocate to adapt to a new way of life -- a concept that has been tried and true most notably with the original film of Star Wars in the 1970's.

Yet the brilliance in this work of literature lies in the fact that Kotter is able to impart a substantial amount of wisdom and information that is relevant to both leadership and management theory. With the adorable penguins leading the way as examples, the author is able to illustrate the eight crucial principles that Leading Change was based upon. By taking the hypothetical notion of these ideas in the latter manuscript and making them painfully real to the penguins in Our Iceberg is Melting, Kotter achieves a degree of clarity and that is hard for anyone, from the most innocent child to the accomplished business/leadership scholar to miss. One by one the penguins are able to create a sense of urgency, produce a guiding team, implement a strategy for a changing vision, communicate it to their peers, empower them to act and produce short-term results that allow for them to persevere and ultimately create a new culture.

Another particular boon about Our Iceberg is Melting is that the author is able to pack these eight concepts into a relatively few short amount of pages. Kotter gets to his points with an immediacy that is surely beneficial to those with short attention spans in the age of raid technology and dissemination of information. Other facets of this manuscript are equally enjoyable, such as the thin veneer of caricature which many of the characters represent. For instance, the characterization of No/no is funny to the point of almost causing the informed reader to laugh out loud at his stubborn obstinacy and his refusal to support the plan of the other penguins to save their sinking iceberg.