Cover image for Our iceberg is melting : changing and succeeding under any conditions
Title:
Our iceberg is melting : changing and succeeding under any conditions
Personal Author:
Publication Information:
New York : St. Martin’s Press, c2005
Physical Description:
x, 147 p. : col. ill. ; 22 cm.
ISBN:
9780312361983

9780230014206
Added Author:

Available:*

Library
Item Barcode
Call Number
Material Type
Item Category 1
Status
Searching...
30000010343736 HD58.8 K68 2005 Open Access Book Book
Searching...
Searching...
30000010306664 HD58.8 K68 2005 Open Access Book Book
Searching...

On Order

Summary

Summary

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.


Author Notes

John P. Kotter, world-renowned expert on leadership, is the author of many books, including Leading Change and The Heart of Change . He is the Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership, Emeritus at the Harvard Business School, and a graduate of MIT and Harvard. He is co-founder of Kotter International, a leadership organization that helps Global 5000 company leaders develop the skills to lead change. He and his wife Nancy live 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.


Reviews 1

Publisher's Weekly Review

Harvard Business School professor Kotter, author of the bestselling Leading Change (1996), teams up with executive Rathgeber to offer his contribution to the "business fable" genre. Kotter presents his framework for an effective corporate change initiative through the tale of a colony of Antarctic penguins facing danger-inspired, perhaps, by today?s real-life global warming crisis (or, perhaps, by March of the Penguins? box office). Under the leadership of one particularly astute bird, a small team of penguins with varied personalities and leadership skills implement a thoughtful plan for coaxing the other birds in their colony through a time of necessary but wrenching change. The logic of Kotter?s fictional framework is wobbly at times-his characters live and act very much like real penguins except that one carries a briefcase and another ("the Professor") cites articles from scholarly journals-and the whimsical tone will not be to everyone?s taste. However, this light, quick read should fulfill its intended purpose: to serve as a springboard for group discussions about corporate culture, group dynamics and the challenges of change. (Sept.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.


Excerpts

Excerpts

What People Are Saying "Our Iceberg Is Melting is superb. It embodies powerful messages that can help a broad audience. It covers all the steps to success in a changing world, from finding the substantial issues, aligning with a potent champion, charting the course, getting buy-in, dealing with those who want no change, and so on." --C HRIS H AND C ITIGROUP G LOBAL A CCOUNT V ICE P RESIDENT A VAYA C ORPORATION "Never have I read a parable in a business book that took a complex issue like change management and distilled it down into a simple story for all to understand. This is the ideal follow-on to Leading Change and The Heart of Change. A must-read for anyone dealing with managing change." --R ICHARD J. K OSINSKI C ATEGORY D EVELOPMENT O FFICER Y AHOO , I NC . "Our Iceberg Is Melting is fantastic--offbeat, but right on. We should make everyone in Washington, D.C., read it." --J OHN B ATTEN E XECUTIVE V ICE P RESIDENT T WIN D ISC , I NC . "I came across Our Iceberg Is Melting in May, ordered and distributed sixty copies in June, evaluated its effect on our change effort, and then ordered five hundred more copies in September. This is a gem." --H EIDI K ING P ROGRAM M ANAGER D EPARTMENT OF D EFENSE "This is the easiest-to-read yet most informative book I have ever seen. Setting one of management's biggest challenges--'what problem, I don't see a problem'--in the context of a melting iceberg and a determined penguin was a stroke of sheer genius." --M ICHAEL D IMELOW D IRECTOR , P RODUCT M ARKETING TTP C OMMUNICATIONS PLC "I have followed Kotter's work for years, respect it greatly, use it with my clients, and know its unique power to help people and organizations perform better. This latest effort--this little penguin tale--is, in my opinion, the best and most useful book he has ever written." --A LAN F ROHMAN P RESIDENT F ROHMAN A SSOCIATES "As a result of the book and my sharing it with a few people in the organization, we have moved quickly on several fronts. We are galvanized to go ahead instead of further studying, more organizing, and so on. It is making a difference for us." --T OM C URLEY P RESIDENT AND CEO A SSOCIATED P RESS "It's a great book. It does an excellent job of communicating in a simple and humorous way the key challenges of leading change. We can easily identify with the characters. It allows a light-hearted discussion of very difficult issues." --D EB K ARSTETTER E XECUTIVE V ICE P RESIDENT ABD I NSURANCE & F INANCIAL S ERVICES "When I was a child in France, I was first introduced to the French classic The Little Prince. I reread this marvelous book while in college and many times since as an adult. It is a book that keeps me growing and thinking. I can see Our Iceberg Is Melting becoming The Little Prince for the twenty-first century." Excerpted from Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding under Any Conditions by John Kotter, Holger Rathgeber All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.