“Who Moved My Cheese?” by Spencer Johnson has been an iconic book for over two decades with the core concept of the story/parable being something very fundamental yet powerful that everybody in this world needs to cope with – change. Hailed by management gurus and homemakers alike, the story plot revolves around four characters - two mice and two little people and how each of them uniquely adapts to the rapid changes in their lives to achieve success and happiness.
Below are the answers to the questions:
1. Very rarely do people seek change when things are going well in a firm. It is when things become shaky in a company that people panic and look for changes. It is not easy to quickly look for alternatives especially when under pressure, making the change even more difficult.
2. Change is more challenging when the firm is not doing well. Taking instances from the story plot, none of the characters opted to look for other Cheese Stations when everything was going well at Cheese Station C. When all cheese disappeared suddenly at Station C, only then the mice moved out to look for other options. Haw reluctantly followed suit after much deliberation and great internal struggle. Hem on the other hand could never manage to get out of his current predicament till the end.
3. Hem takes the change in his life the hardest. He seems to have taken the cheese at Cheese Station C for granted and does not come to terms with the reality that there is no more cheese there. Even as Haw suggests ways to look for new directions, Hem remains stuck to his old ways and expect things to happen to him while he actually does nothing. Hem also seems to discourage Haw towards change. Denial of the problem and refusal to do anything by himself and also discouraging his friend towards change are two of his negative actions.
4. In the world of Information Technology (IT), change is key. Every day there is something new to learn and adapt to. A person unwilling to accept this and adapt himself by staying up to date with the latest happenings in his field will suffer eventually. Secondly, there are several Hem like characters in the office who would support a person to remain still and do nothing to improve their situation. It takes courage (as that shown by Haw) to move away from such influence and take a strong step into the unknown for a better future.
