Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life (Paperback)

A synopsis

There are two ‘teams’, Sniff and Scurry, the Mice, who rush about in search of cheese, entirely oblivious to how or why they do what they do, but aware that circumstances could change at a moments notice; and, Hem and Haw, the Littlepeople, who frequently think over what they have done, and why they did it, but are content to stay with what is familiar. They all live in a maze containing stores of cheese. Upon discovering a particularly bountiful store, Cheese Station C, they cease to explore new parts of the maze. However, they are forced to set out on an adventure when the supply of cheese runs out. Clever Sniff and Scurry embrace the fact that when the cheese runs out they must change and seek out a new supply. They rush blindly about the maze till they discover a new source, Station N, the Garden of Eden for cheese lovers. As such they could be termed ‘experimenters’. That is to say, they never accept that what happens today will always happen tomorrow. The suckers, Hem and Haw, prevaricate ‘needlessly’ on their new circumstances resisting the change that they interpret as being ‘unfairly’ imposed upon them. Perhaps they could be termed ‘associationist philosophers’, who, when something happens believe that it will always happen in the same fashion, ad infinitum. Eventually Hem, tired of this ‘negativity’ to the increasingly dire situation they find themselves in (by now they are starving), abandons Haw, and sets out alone to seek a new supply of cheese. During his journey he discovers the wonderful lessons of change. Every so often he writes his discoveries on the wall, just in case Haw decides to follow in his footsteps. After many wrong turns he finds Station N and two chubby mice. Poor little Haw remains alone with his ‘negativity’ and probably starves to death! (We are encouraged to abandon those who persistently resist change, as their minds are un-malleable.)

Critique

1. We must unquestionly embrace change as a positive process and get on with making it work. Purile nonsense! This brings to mind ‘The Emperors New Clothes’ where everyone is so ‘positive’ about his new clothes (of which there aren’t any as ‘he’s in the buff’). If no one questions the change, or challenges it, then how can we validate it. Or are we expected to be unquestioning drones?

2. As soon as change occurs we must engage with the new modus operandi. Because Spencer spends so little time on Sniff and Scurry’s pursuit for the new source of cheese we cannot put a time frame on it. Therefore it is very easy to assert that both ‘teams’ spent exactly the same amount of time in their pursuits. However in taking that premise Sniff and Scurry actually learnt nothing about change in their mindless dash around the maze, whereas Hem learnt much, and poor Haw, nothing. Maybe that’s the point. But I wouldn’t be happy with a quarter of my people embracing change, and the initial embracers, a half, possibly harbouring the same thoughts as Haw, waiting to air them at a later date. The upshot will be that you won’t have many staff left after a series of changes. Perhaps this too is the point of the book!

3. That this book is simple probably appeals to the mindsets of the managers who slavishly promote it. They hope that the workforce swallows its ‘entertaining’ storyline without questioning their motives for change too closely. It is, as one reviewer has remarked, a lazy managers device. It is much better if practically everyone embraces change - ‘ Think of all the time we can save.’

4. One can’t help thinking that the book has a limited life span. After people have gone through repeated changes, noticed very little has changed, and are disheartened, whose book do they turn to? Perhaps Spencer has another bestseller up his sleeve!