How can we use the Iceberg model to our advantage? They’re both the hardest things to change in the system and the most important thing to change. These mental models are so ingrained that it takes more than just working on our habits, they drive unconscious choices and assumptions we make every day. They’re so powerful because we act on them without recognizing their influence. The most challenging layer to change in the iceberg model is a layer that drives all of the conditions above it. Mental models like the idea that our identity is fundamentally shaped by our profession, the idea that eating healthily is expensive, or the idea that taking a break is only for lazy people could all play a role in why we develop colds. These are the ideas that we unconsciously pick up from society or our families and are probably unaware of. The attitudes, convictions, morals, expectations, and values that support the continued operation of structures are known as mental models. Ritual-habitual behaviors are so ingrained that they are not conscious.ĭeveloping a habit of asking what underlying structures in society might be generating which patterns of behavior are a high-leverage skill that will improve a designer’s ability to contribute to social innovation. Policies - like laws, regulations, and tax structures. Organizations - like corporations, governments, and schools. Physical things - like vending machines, roads, traffic lights, or terrain. According to Professor John Gerber, structures can include the If we better understand these patterns, we’re more able to prevent negative ones from getting stronger, even as we nudge positive ones towards reinforcing themselves.įurther down the iceberg, we try to find out “what is causing these patterns?” Usually, the answer is some structure, the habit of eating poorly when under stress, or the inconvenient location of healthy food sources could all be structure at play in our catching a cold. We can predict and avert events by looking for patterns. When we look closely below events, we tend to notice patterns, and similar events that have been happening over time, we may catch colds anytime we move to a new environment, or if we don’t rest regularly. The iceberg model encourages us not to believe that every problem can be resolved by merely treating the symptom or changing at the event level, even though problems detected at the event level are frequently treated with a simple readjustment. The event level is visible and it’s what we generally experience, such as when we discover we have a cold after waking up in the morning. The iceberg model has four levels that deeply explain how we can find the systems and the worldviews that lead to the event in the first place. What are the Four levels of the Iceberg model? Everything is linked to one giant system.įor example, if children are properly taken care of they grow up careless and afraid to explore ideas but won’t understand why that is. Systems in the sense that it can also relate to our everyday lives, and our interactions with people. It is also about figuring out what created the problem. The Iceberg model of system thinking is not just about coming up with solutions. "The 90% of the iceberg that exists underwater is what creates the behavior seen by the 10% that exists above the surface." - Kishau Rogers, Bigthinking.io Why is the Iceberg system useful in systems thinking? Iceberg model: 10 percent of its total mass above water and the other 90 percent underwaterĪ popular model used in system thinking is the iceberg model, we know that a lot of what happens at the tip of the iceberg is caused by what the ocean current acts on underwater. Rather than reacting to individual problems that arise, a systems thinker will ask about relationships to other activities within the system, look for patterns over time, and seek root causes. Systems thinking is a way of approaching problems that asks how various elements within a system - which could be an ecosystem, an organization, or something more dispersed such as a supply chain - influence one another. This is a wrong approach, in systems thinking we tend to ask more profound questions like “ Why am I eating so much and not exercising ?” trying to get to what the root cause of the problem is in the first place and finding solutions based on theses is why the iceberg model of systems thinking is so efficient. As designers our approach to solving problems matters as much as the problem is solved, a lot of the time we tend to approach these problems based on what we can see visibly for example if we eat too much without proper exercise we will gain weight, the solution when looking solely at the problem would be to eat less and workout more.
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