How the Iceberg Model can be used in Systemic Coaching?

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Iceberg lies beneath,?

Beliefs and values unseen,?

Coach to discover.

Coacharya Haiku

?Imagine an iceberg floating in the ocean. Only a small part of it is visible above the water, while most of it remains hidden beneath the surface. This image is a powerful metaphor for understanding human behaviour and team dynamics. In coaching, we use this as the Iceberg Model to help individuals and teams explore what's going on beneath the surface as underlying beliefs and traumas of their visible actions and words, blocking their aspirational goals.

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Psychological Underpinning

?Freud made the Western world conscious of the unconscious world, something that was understood by the Eastern wisdom in the scriptures of Mandukya Upanishad as the 4 States of Awareness. ?Freud spoke of 3 states Id, Ego and Superego. Jung added a fourth as the Collective Unconscious.

?Both Freud and Jung agreed that most of our mental processes happen below our conscious awareness triggered by past experiential memories, influencing our current thoughts and behaviours in ways we don't fully comprehend as unconscious impulses. Freud considered most of these unconscious impulses to arise from sexual triggers and toxic. Jung differed from Freud believing that while the unconscious if not understood can be a tyrannical master, it can be a powerful servant if controlled. ?Jungian concepts of the Collective Unconscious such as archetypes, shadow, ego and Self have been used by later-day psychological approaches such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Humanistic Approach, behavioural Psychology, Positive Psychology, Gestalt, NLP, and Transactional analysis, amongst many others. ?

Systemic View of the Iceberg Model

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The Iceberg Model can be perceived through a systemic lens more practically. One can look at the model at four levels of thinking that coaches can use with their clients:

Events that trigger behaviour: The tip of the iceberg

Patterns that underlie conditioning: Just below the surface

Underlying Structures anchored as habits: Deeper in the water

Mental Models as limiting beliefs: At the base of the iceberg

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A coach trained in the Iceberg model can deploy it in the following ways.

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Goal Setting:

?Whitmore speaks of goals in his GROW model as 4 levels of Dream or long-term vision, End goals at a point in time and space, Performance goals as outcome and Process goals as what to do.

?Dream goals are aspirational value goals we seek. End goals are limited by our beliefs in what we think is feasible. Performance goals are often defined by patterns we are used to. Process goals keep changing based on environmental response.

?Coaches need to partner with clients to think beyond process, performance and end goals, looking towards the value-based aspirational dream goals that provide a purpose and meaning in work-life situations. This will help clients identify patterns they want to change, structures they might need to alter, and even mental models they need to shift.

?A goal might start as "I want to complete the next project" (event level) but evolve to "I want to establish consistent project success" (pattern level), "I want to improve our project management system" (structure level), and "I want to develop a growth mindset in our team as a leader" (mental model level). The role of a leader would be the dream goal driving all other actions.

?At each of these levels, coaches can support clients systemically to explore obstacles at different levels, with people, time and space. Is the obstacle an isolated event, a recurring pattern, a structural issue, or a deeply held belief related to people, time or space? Understanding the obstacles is crucial in developing more effective strategies to succeed.

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Exploration:

?Once the goals at various levels are established with clarity on the value-based vision and the conscious obstacles understood, the coach explores starting with visible and experienced events. These are the situations or occurrences that prompted the client to seek coaching. They look for patterns asking about similar events that have happened before and connecting them. The dots when connected reveal the underlying structures that might be causing these patterns and habits in the way one behaves. Coaches then explore the mental models of limiting beliefs that misalign with the client's aspirational values in the goals they seek.

?For example, a team leader might come to coaching because of a recent project failure (event). The coach would ask about other project outcomes (looking for patterns), then explore the team's project management processes (underlying structures), and finally discuss the team's beliefs about success and failure (mental models).

?Awareness of the mental models of limiting beliefs leads to learning and growth by defining actions as new habits of behaviour and how to anchor the new habits.

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?Learning & Growth through Actions:

?Action plans can be structured to address all four levels of the iceberg:

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·????? Event level: How to handle immediate situations

·????? Pattern level: Strategies to change recurring behaviours

·????? Structure level: Plans to modify systems or processes

·????? Mental model level: Activities to challenge and shift underlying beliefs

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For instance, an action plan might include steps to handle the next team conflict (event), establish regular team check-ins (pattern), redesign the team's decision-making process (structure), and conduct workshops on collaborative thinking (mental model).

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Progress Evaluation and Sustaining Change:

?Coaches can help clients journal progress at all levels and provide feedback to enable progress.

·????? Are problematic events occurring less frequently?

·????? Are new, positive patterns emerging?

·????? Have structural changes been implemented and are they effective?

·????? Are there signs of shifts in mental models?

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For lasting change, it's crucial to address all levels of the iceberg. Coaches can help clients.

·????? Prepare for future events

·????? Reinforce new patterns

·????? Solidify structural changes

·????? Continue to evolve their mental models

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Our brains are neuroplastic. they learn and adapt. We need to provide the inputs.

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Reflection:

?Start with coaching yourself. Create a dream vision and what needs to happen in the next few months, as outcomes and actions. Ask yourself these open-ended questions.

?Events: "What specific situation are you concerned about?"

Patterns: "How often does this kind of thing happen?"

Underlying Structures: "What systems or processes might be contributing to this situation?"

Mental Models: "What beliefs or assumptions might be influencing how I ?see this situation?"

?Repeated a few times, you will gain mastery over this process.

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?If this article ignited your curiosity about how one can use the Iceberg Model in your coaching, share it with your network! Subscribe to my 'Coaching the Spirit' newsletter for more cutting-edge content on coaching methodologies, spirituality, and leadership in today's dynamic workplace. Together, let's shape the future of leadership in the era of interconnected systems!