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description: Use when looking beyond surface events to find systemic patterns and root structures
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# Iceberg Model

Analyze problems at four levels of depth — Events, Patterns, Structures, and Mental Models — to move from reactive fixes to systemic change.

## Steps

1. **Events (what happened?)** — Describe the visible event or symptom you are reacting to.
2. **Patterns (what trends recur?)** — Look for repeated occurrences over time. Is this a one-off or part of a trend?
3. **Structures (what causes the patterns?)** — Identify the systems, processes, incentives, or organizational structures that produce the patterns.
4. **Mental Models (what beliefs drive the structures?)** — Surface the assumptions, values, or beliefs that sustain the current structures.
5. **Choose your intervention level** — Decide where to act: reacting to events is fast but shallow; changing mental models is slow but transformative.

## Output Format

A four-layer diagram or table with rows for Events, Patterns, Structures, and Mental Models. Each row contains findings and evidence. Include a recommended intervention level with rationale.