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Biographies & Primers |
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Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions
written by John Kotter, Holger Rathgeber, Spenser Johnson
Studio : St. Martin's Press
by St. Martin's Press
Release Date : 2006-09-05
Publisher : St. Martin's Press
Released : 2006-09-05
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9780312361983
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 63 reviews)
List Price : $19.95
Our Price : $10.65
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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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Americancivilwar.com |
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 |
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An unusual business parable |
Kotter's book is unlike any business parable I've seen (except for one, I'll get to that in a minute). It uses animals (penguins on an iceberg) as a metaphor for the challenging environment in which corporations operate today and their resistance to organizational change. Unlike the over simplified Who Moved My Cheese, these animals have far more human characteristics that pose challenges like those you face in your work and they'll remind you of people you know. Hard to fully explain how it works so well, but, believe me, it works. Highly recommended.
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. |
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Wonderful Book on Change Management |
My daughter gave me a copy of this book. As a corporate human resources director, she believed I would enjoy the subject. I can truly say that she underestimated the enjoyment I derived from these penguins.
This book is a must read for anyone that manages people with all of their quirks and baggage. While the book is largely common sense, it opens your eyes to various tools to stimulate discussion and engage in effective communication.
There is no better way to teach a topic than to build an interesting story around the topic. This empowers the subject in a way that straightforward narrative and lecture style can never achieve. Keep writing John Kotter. It is a great book. Michael L. Gooch, SPHR Author of Wingtips with Spurs |
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Amusing & Enlightening |
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I am usually more into serious literature, but one of my team mates in an on-line course suggested that our group use this book for an educational leadership project. It was an excellent suggestion. Not only was the book "short and sweet", but within its pages, I could actually see myself and the role that I play within the structural system of my school. I am a die hard for doing things the "old way" and this little fable opened my eyes to seeing the importance of change. If we don't adapt, we won't survive. It is also very amusing to read about the plight of these little penguins and their cooperative effort to solve the crisis of their iceberg population. The illustrations are also well done and very entertaining. I would definitely recommend this book. It's great! It really brings the point home without becoming offensive. |
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Anyone in Business Should Read this Book |
It took me less than two hours to read this book, and it was truly worth the time. Presented in "fable" format about a group of penguins, the story contains a true test of how to deal with change...a change that will come whether you want it to or not.
I work in the media world, and would make this mandatory reading for anyone in that space. Most people in our world even see the iceberg melting, but are hesitant to do anything about it. This book throws out learning principles like Dr. Seuss, with style and effectiveness. Highly recommend. |
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Simple, but effective, Story |
This bok is a quick read, probably less than an hour. The book talks about how to recognize when change is needed, and how to manage a group through the process of change, but does it in a fun way. The book is a fable, the story of a group of penguins who discover that the iceberg they live on is melting, and have to figure out what (if anything) to do about it.
While it sounds silly, and does contain some humor, sometimes a simple story can convey many important lessons. This is one of those times. In reading the story, I kept thinking back to teams I'd worked on, and seeing similarities between particular colleagues and particular penguins.
As the authors point out at the end, much of the power of this story is in it's simplicity. By stripping it down to the essential details, it's much easier to follow the process. They also point out that if a group of people are all familiar with the story, it gives them a common language to use when dealing with these issues. |
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