Iceberg Model Assessment / Iceberg Perspective
Updated 2026-08-10
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
The iceberg model of assessment, associated with McClelland's competency research, treats visible knowledge and skills as the small portion above the waterline while values, motives, traits, and self-concept form the much larger submerged mass. The core proposition is that the submerged attributes are more stable and more predictive of sustained performance than surface skills. The key qualification is that they can only be inferred from repeated behavior across situations, so the assessment must rest on evidence rather than on impression.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Below the waterline: Look past certificates and skills toward motives, values, and self-concept. - Behavioral probing: Use structured interviews and past incidents to infer submerged attributes. - Evidence over impression: Require repeated observations across situations before concluding anything about character.
Anchor fast decisions
Skills are learned quickly and can be imitated or faked in an interview, while motives and traits change slowly and shape behavior across many situations. Because the submerged layer governs whether a person will use a skill at all, predictions built only on visible ability systematically overestimate performance, and the gap shows up months into the role.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_thinkingverified
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