Iceberg and Root Causes
The Iceberg Model: creating a shared map and understanding of the current reality and its root causes, and together inquiring into an aspired reality.
Ref: Illustration composed by Nora Wilhelm based on different sources, including Donella Meadows, Thinking in Systems; collaboratio helvetica toolbox; the Waters of Systems Change, FSG; Presencing Institute; icons von Freepik.
Background
The iceberg model is a systems thinking framework that suggests that beneath the visible levels of events and crisis, there are underlying structures and processes, paradigms of thoughts and mindsets, and sources or origines, which we can also call root causes, that created the above layers.
Often we are not aware of, or include in our responses and actions in the here and now these deeper, more hidden aspects that led to a certain situation that we want to help shift or change.
This framework helps us to start seeing the implicit storylines that are often reaching back decades and centuries that we may not include in our sight and reasoning, if we only focus on the visible tips of the iceberg.
As a visual map, the iceberg is highlighting the creation process of a particular event originating from a source point, evoking specific mindsets and beliefs, condensing into structures and processes before actually creating a manifestation in the here and now in the visible and tangible realm.
As a tool it allows teams and individuals to shift and widen their perspectives and see beyond the immediate events, symptoms and crises. It helps to uncover root causes and the deeper laying sources of why those events came into existence. It further suggests that we cannot see or detect most of a situation's data or complexity if we try to analyse only what we can capture on the surface level.
It invites a sense of humbleness and being comfortable with not knowing, while opening up and being curious to better understand what led to a current expression.
It supports both a better understanding of unsettling issues that we want to help shift or change (current reality), as well as what would need to be cultivated on the source level so that we can experience outcomes of well-being on the surface level in the near future (aspired reality).
We often use the analogy of an iceberg when we talk about culture and repeating crises. The proverbial “tip of the iceberg” symbolizes the observable behaviors as well as the things you can see, hear and touch, measure and analyse.
The culture of a particular society or movement, or the existence of a repeating crisis such as for example unemployment, racism, destruction of ecosystems etc. is very similar to an iceberg. It has some aspects that are visible and many others that can only be suspected, guessed, or learned as we grow to understand the cultures and storylines of a crisis. Like an iceberg, the visible part is only a small portion of a much larger whole. In most cases, the invisible aspects influence or cause the visible ones.
Disclaimer
Some models refer to the bottom layer of the iceberg as the mental models. In our approach the mental models are falling under paradigms of thoughts and mindsets as we understand that even the mental models came into existence due to a source of an inspiration or an origin of a pattern that allowed creating ripples upwards.
An alternative metaphor instead of the iceberg we can use is the one of a tree.
How do you use the iceberg model? Creating a visual map, brainstorming and sense-making together
The Iceberg Model is a four-step approach to evaluating a problem (current reality) and to inquire into new approaches (aspiried reality).
Write the event (what is observable about the event) at the top of the blank iceberg and work your way down, adding as many as you can think of. It can also be useful to move up and down between levels as you think more about the event.
You can use the handouts (see below) and combine it with replicating it on a bigger board, especially if you work with more people.
Post-its and colored pens can be useful to differentiate between the different layers.
→ Start with the current reality. Take time for each layer to see what comes to your mind. Draw, write and welcome any insight and thought.
What appears
What are the events or current experiences that you like to better understand? How do the symptoms look like and show up?Invisible structures and processes
What are the structures and processes such as laws, rules, protokols, systematised mechanisms etc. that are connected with the above events, or allow it to happen?Paradigms of thoughts, mindsets and beliefs
What are the underlying mindsets that give rise to the invisible structures and processes? What are the beliefs that allow these structures and processes to be accepted and maybe even obied to?Source, origin of pattern or root cause
Beneath these paradigms of thoughts, mindsets and beliefs what are origines, sources of inspiration and initial impulses that sparked a specific mindset or belief? What are the qualities that were present at the beginning, like a blueprint, that we can name?After you have individually and/or collectively brainstormed take some time to collectively sense-make. What new insights emerged, what do you see differently, how does that inform now your strategic thoughts and plans?
→ Then to the same process for the aspired reality.
What wants to appears
What are the expressions of well-being that we want to see appearing on the surface level? What are aspiried events and qualities of situations that we want to see become manifest?Invisible structures and processes
What are the structures and processes such as laws, rules, protokols, systematised mechanisms etc. that will allow and stimulate these aspired expressions? What are important process elements to create and maintain in our governance, management and leadership structures to allow those?Paradigms of thoughts, mindsets and beliefs
What are the underlying mindsets that are required to be cultivated in and among us in order to give rise to these aspired structures and processes? What are thought patterns that we want to consciously practice and nurture for these to become reality for the longer-term?Source, origin of pattern or root cause
Beneath these paradigms of aspiried thoughts, mindsets and beliefs what are sources of inspiration and initial impulses that can sparke these? What are the qualities that we want to see present at the beginning, in the blueprint?
After you have individually and/or collectively brainstormed take some time to collectively sense-make. What new insights emerged, what do you see differently, how does that inform now your strategic thoughts and plans?
Disclaimer
Depending on the complexity of the context and the diversity of people involved, it may take several iterations and some time between the different steps.
Experience
As part of a gathering with about thirtyfive people from and focused on a regenerative Nile Basin (eleven countries), we used this exercise to better understand the highly complex, intertwined and diverse political narratives related to the geopolitical challenges and rootcauses among the riparian countries.
We started with a time for each individual (app. 45min) to brainstorm and collect elements for the different layers of the iceberg on post-its. First with the focus on how they experience the current reality and what they see as being at the root of the current polycrises. Then we went on, still individually, to brainstorm the different elements and qualities that would need to be cultivated and nurtured for their aspired reality to come into existence.
The individual exercise started already to stir some deeper reflections, insights and new questions.
After a brief break we gathered and started to collect and cluster layer by layer (from top to down) the post-its for the current reality.
Through this process voices like “oh really?”, “oh, I never have thought of seeing it in this way”, “oh no, that's of course not what we as a country intended or meant to suggest to your people”, got expressed by people from different nationalities. It was a moment of a true eyeopener to all of us, and created a new shared understanding and visualisation of the interrelated challenges with a multitude of blindspots and implicit assumptions on all sides.
Another incredible wave of recognition and acknowledgement arose when we did the same process with collecting and clustering the post-its for the aspired reality. So much alignment and shared seeings for a possible future for all Nile Basin riparians and their countries.
After several circles of sense-making, integrating the new and different seeings, and especially having created a shared sense of current and aspired reality, it left the group with more empowerment and deeper understanding of each other. What was especially moving was to see the connections that emerged across the perceived divides that rippled further through the rest of the gathering and the collaborative projects that started afterwards.
Further literature and links to the topic
Handout:
References:
Video
Written by Luea Ritter
Luea Ritter is part of the design and hosting team for collaboratio helvetica’s Catalyst Lab. This learning and design process has been created to support individuals and their teams with the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Switzerland. Luea is also part of the Practitioner Circle and supports different long-term mandates. Luea thrives within complexity, and through a diverse medley of fields she has developed a high sensitivity for context-based social dynamics. She weaves societal and systemic change practices, trauma and healing work, leadership, collaboration and earth-based wisdom traditions to cultivate capacities in individuals and collectives. Besides her work for collaboratio helvetica she works internationally across sectors to guide multi-stakeholder design and transition processes that embrace the challenge and potential of our times and support social innovation. She co-founded Collective Transitions, an action-research organization dedicated to making the implicit valued, and building shared capacities for transformational shifts.