The iceberg can be a helpful framework for unpacking a complex challenge at multiple levels. Edward T. Hall introduced the iceberg as an analogy for understanding culture in 1976. A key feature of the metaphor is the notion that only a small percentage of the iceberg is visible above the waterline. The Iceberg Model is an application of the analogy to organizational and social systems and describes specific visible and invisible levels.
Events, patterns, and trends are visible, and we often have measurements and mechanisms for tracking these visible elements. We generally react to what we see, and we try to anticipate what will happen. But below the surface are the invisible elements, the systems, structures, and mental models, all of which we need to shift if we want the visible structures to change. Shifting the parts of the system that are invisible often requires regeneration, redesign, and reframing. The very bottom of an iceberg represents our mental models. They may seem smaller than the other levels, but their shape can have a significant impact on the position of the iceberg as a whole.
Consider the complex challenge of climate change. On top are the visible and often dramatic events—record-breaking heatwaves, raging wildfires, and devastating floods—grabbing headlines and prompting urgent, reactive responses. At the waterline, patterns and trends emerge, such as the steady rise in global temperatures, increasingly frequent natural disasters, and escalating carbon emissions. Below the surface you’ll find the systemic structures that drive these patterns—our reliance on fossil fuels, policies that prioritize short-term gains, and industrial practices that shape our economies and cities. At the bottom, mostly hidden from view, lie our deeply ingrained beliefs in endless economic growth, consumerism, and the separation between humanity and nature.
Deeper Dive
- Hall, ET. Beyond Culture. New York: Anchor Press, 1976.
- NPC. Systems Practice Toolkit. The Iceberg Model. Accessed June 2025.
Related Frameworks
- Action Scales Model: reflects similar levels using an analogy to weight on a scale
- Intervention Level Framework: uses a pyramid or lever analogy to reflect the levels
- Places to Intervene: Meadows’ original analysis, it breaks the levels down further
- Six Conditions of Systems Change: uses language familiar to people working in current organizations and systems
- Systems Change Tree: uses a tree analogy to illustrate interconnections between levels