Tag Archives: iceberg

Steering a supertanker…

Tanker

…it’s quite easy actually.

We often use analogies to explain why something is challenging or difficult.

One analogy that is often used is the iceberg, a good example of this is Schien model of organisational culture.

iceberg

The problem with icebergs is that the focus of any discussion about the topic often switches to the Titanic, an unsinkable ship that sank after hitting an iceberg. Then discussion moves onto what a terrible or excellent film it was, and it’s not long before someone shouts out “I’m king of the world” with outstretched arms. Before you know it, you have no idea what you were discussing and the important stuff is slowly sinking to the seabed!

Sometimes we make assumptions in our analogies which are just plain wrong. The supertanker in the title of this blog post is a prime example. We compare organisations to supertankers as these huge behemoths that are challenging to steer and keep going in one direction with no way of turning them.

Searching Google on how to turn or steer a supertanker, the only results you seem to get are articles and news items on how something else is like trying to turn a supertanker!

The reality is that steering a supertanker is quite easy and they are in fact highly manoeuvrable, they have to be to dock at refineries and ports across the world.

What is challenging with a supertanker is stopping to avoid hitting something, and most times supertankers don’t stop they turn and move in a different direction.

Maybe the supertanker analogy isn’t so bad after all…

Tanker