Change Management Iceberg

Knowledge Center

The Change Management Iceberg of Wilfried Krüger is a strong visualization of what is arguably the essence of change in organizations: dealing with barriers.

The top of the iceberg

According to Krüger many change managers only consider the top of the iceberg: Cost, Quality and Time ("Issue Management").

Below the surface of the iceberg

However, below the surface of the water there are two more dimensions of Change and implementation Management:

• Management of Perceptions and Beliefs, and
• Power and Politics Management

What kind of barriers arise, and what kind of Implementation Management is consequently needed, depends on:

1. the kind of Change

     - hard things "only" (information systems, processes)  just scratches the surface,

     - soft things also (values, mindsets and capabilities) is much more profound

2. the applied Change strategy

     - revolutionary, dramatic change as in Business Process Reengineering

     - evolutionary, incremental change as in Kaizen

People involved in Change

• Opponents have both a negative general attitude towards change AND a negative behavior towards this particular personal change. They need to be controlled by Management of Perceptions and Beliefs to change their minds as far as possible.
• Promoters on the other hand have both a positive generic attitude towards change AND are positive about this particular change for them personally. They take advantage of the change and will therefore support it.
• Hidden Opponents have a negative generic attitude towards change although they seem to be supporting the change on a superficial level ("Opportunists"). Here Management  of Perceptions and Beliefs supported by information (Issue management ) is needed to change their attitude.
• Potential Promoters have a generic positive attitude towards change, however for certain reasons they are not convinced (yet) about this particular change. Power and Politics management seems to be appropriate in this case.

Dealing with Change

Krüger says the general management has a permanent task and challenge to deal with change. Superficial Issue Management can only achieve results at a level consistent with the acceptance that is below the surface. The base of Change Management is in both the interpersonal and behavioral dimension and the normative and cultural dimension, and is subject to Power and Politics management, and to the management of Perceptions and Beliefs.

Article: Wilfried Krüger - Implementation: the Core Task of Change Management, CEMS Business Review, Vol. 1, 1996

Book: Michael A. Beitler - Strategic Organizational change

Book: Linda Ackerman Anderson, Dean Anderson - The Change Leader's Roadmap

Forum Start a new topic about Change Management (Iceberg) Write here. Ask a question or explain something. Current forum discussions about Change Management (Iceberg): Reasons and Motives to Resist Change I'm trying to collect a list of all motives for resistance to change by employees. Henk Kleijn and Fred Rorink in their book 'Change management' indicate that there are multiple psychological motives... 44   44 comments How to Make Employees LOVE Change? Most of the discussions in this particular knowledge center change iceberg focus on the RESISTANCE to change. My question is how to make people LOVE change... Why not create and exploit that situation... 33   102 comments The ADKAR model by Prosci The ADKAR model by Prosci (1998) helps to deal with the people dimension of change. It can be used to: 1. Diagnose employee resistance to change. 2. Help employees transition through the change proc... 31   6 comments What are the Reasons for Change? Why do we really need change in the first place? What are the sources / reasons for the need to change?... 19   5 comments Hidden Resistance to Change It is very important to recognize that the most powerful resistance does NOT come from those who openly disagree with you. For such people you can easily ague it out with them and know where the proce... 18   3 comments What Leadership Style Reduces Resistance? The importance of employees being committed to change cannot be underestimated nowadays, since more and more organizations are operating in a dynamic environment, both internally and externally. How ... 18   19 comments

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Expert Tips Advanced insights about Change Management (Iceberg). Here you will find professional advices by experts. Consultancy Tips Teaching Tips Practical Implementation Tips I'll never use the term 'Resistance to Change' again Resistance to Change is a Defensive Attitude... I am working as a change manager in a German IT company. Somebody advised me the other day to read an article about resi... Personal Networks of Successful Change Agents Leading Major and Minor Change Initiatives Organizational change is often difficult to achieve because it disturbs the hierarchical structures and the way to accom... Addressing Concerns Against Change and their Remedies Change Management, Organizational Change, Turnaround Management According to Ken Blanchard in the article “Mastering the Art of Change” (Training Journal, January 2010), it is importan...

Information Sources Various sources of information regarding Change Management (Iceberg). Here you will find powerpoints, videos, news, etc. to use in your own lectures and workshops. 22 Best Practices in Change Management Change Management, Organizational Change Presentation starts with short introduction of managing organizational change and then outlines 22 best practices in cha... The Nature and Complexity of Organizational Change Change Management, Organizational Change Presentation about organizational change. The presentation discusses and highlights the complexity and multi-dimensional... Dealing with Strong Resisters Dealing with Resistance to Change, Change Management, Training, Workshop Dr. John Kotter gives remarkable advice on dealing with "No, No, People" (strong resisters in change initiatives). Acco... Avoiding Resistance: Communicate Organizational Change to Affected Audiences Organizational Change, Change Management, Change Communications This presentation elaborates on the process of communicating change towards those affected by the change. The presentati... Tips for Successful Change Management Initial Understanding of How to Manage Change Successfully Gavin Wedell explains that to change one's organization, one must change one's inner being. In today's world market con... Effective Change Leadership and Management: Principles, Frameworks and Tools Change Management, Change Leadership Comprehensive presentation on leadership and management in a change context. 1. Introduction and Overview 2. What is t... What is Change Management? Initial Understanding of Change Management In this video Elissa Farrow from About Your Transition explains the relatively new concept of Organizational Change Mana...

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Compare with the Change Management Iceberg: Change Model Beckhard  |  Changing Organization Cultures  |  Forget Borrow Learn  |  Change Phases  |  Appreciative Inquiry  |  Positive Deviance  |  DICE Framework  |  Force Field Analysis  |  Core Group Theory  |  Bases of Social Power  |  MSP  |  PMMM  |  Planned Behavior  |  Business Process Reengineering  |  Kaizen  |  Dimensions of Change  |  Seven Habits  | Levels of Culture  |  Culture Types  |  RACI

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