The power of the Iceberg as a Mental Model

1. Centro de Estrategia, Liderazgo y Transformación©
Complex Problems Solving
in the Organization
The Iceberg Model

2. There are some fundamental aspects that affect organizational
complexity, which, because they are not completely visible, appear to
be out of our control. The Iceberg Model is a conceptual approach to
explain the relationship between everyday events (visible) and the
variables that cause them at different levels (invisible or under the
surface). Once we have understood the Iceberg Model, we can get
closer to controlling organizational events.

3. The Iceberg is
practically a mountain
of ice floating in the
ocean.
Only a small part of the
Iceberg is visible, the
one that is above the
surface, which equals
approximately 10%.

4. The image of the Iceberg
is one of the most
popular metaphors to
represent a reality that is
partially observable and
superficially
understandable.
Visible
Invisible

5. Our incapacity to see
under the water
prevents the critical
observation of
fundamental elements
that support the visible
part.

6. However, the invisible
part is the most
important in order to
explain the “why” of
different events above
the surface.
?

7. What is it under the
surface?
• Patters, generated by:
• Structures, generated by:
• Mental Models created
through different events

8. Events
Patterns
Structures
Mental Models
Visible
Invisible
1
2
3
4
5

9. Events
Patterns
Structures
Mental Models
Everything that happens in the organization
The way in which all structures or events relates to each
other and the dynamics that exhibits cycles with
repeatable behavior
Infrastructure, rules, components, elements, codes that
allow organizations to generate value
The way in which people understand events and generate
a way of acting in situations, based on values, assumptions
and beliefs.

10. Organizational failures
manifested in problems
and vicious cycles, are
the consequence of
structural failures or
wrong mental models.
Problems
Vicious Cycles
Structural
Failures
Wrong Mental
Models

11. Iceberg Model, although a very
useful perspective to address
critical organizational
performance problems it is not
used as it should be, due to:
• We put excessive importance on the
visible part, looking for the causes in the
same place where problems occur.
• The invisible part, below the surface,
requires time for analysis, which is
considered in some companies as a waste
of time.
• Other companies adopt a corrective
mindset thinking that they don’t have
time to dedicate to the diagnosis (but
unfortunately that demands plenty of
time to extinguish fires).
• In many organizations, people don’t know
tools that permit translate this principle
to simple and practical analysis.

12. Under the surface,
Iceberg Model permits
exploration of the
cause of events and
patterns, which could
allow discovering the
levers that move the
different observed
situations (less effort –
better results).

13. Finally, Iceberg Model
should be used more
than a metaphor in
organizational realms.
The power of insights
that this approach
provides will help
companies to use its
levers to potentiate
performance once they
have been discovered.

14. Alfonso Cornejo
Consultant with 25 years of experience. Author of 2 books on Organizational Complexity. Associate professor at EGADE MBA in México and
UIDE International MBA in Ecuador. Competences: Strategic Thinking, Complex Problems Solving, Organizational Development and Cultural
Transformation.

15. Contacto ACCELUM Consulting Network
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