Who Moved My Cheese, Book Review Example

Introduction

The influential book on change “Who Moved My Cheese” by Spencer Johnson discusses the question; what makes people happy? How do people search for the ultimate happiness? Cheese means a different thing for every person. For most, it is a stable, well-paid job, a home, financial security, and family. For others, it is spirituality or leadership. No matter what “cheese” means for one person; in the competitive and always changing world, it is “moved”. People are made to change careers and find the “cheese” somewhere else. They are required to learn new skills needed for their role in the company. Sometimes, they need to start looking outside of the box and become entrepreneurs. The book describes the process of searching for cheese from the perspective of four characters; two mice and two “littlepeople”. The “littlepeople” are called “Hem and Haw, and the mice are called Sniff and Scurry. The reader can easily relate to their story, their attitude, and reaction when the cheese is moved. Resisting change is one of the main obstacles of personal and career development. This is the message Spencer Johnson would like to get through using the story of the four characters searching for the “cheese”.

Author Information

Spencer Johnson is a psychology professor, and completed his studies at Mayo Clinic and the Medical School of Harvard (Mind Perk). The Barnes & Noble website’s author page also tells the readers about the motivations of the author to write the story of mice and “littlepeople” in a parable format. He is considered to be one of the most influential thinkers of the 20^th Century, and has been praised for the simplicity and effectiveness of the book. He is an author who likes keeping things simple and explaining issues through parables. His first books: “The one minute manager”, “The one minute mother”, “The one minute father” are all based on self-improvement challenges people in the 20^th Century face.

Background Information

During the 20^th Century, several technological changes have made it difficult to work for the same company and in the same role for a lifetime. Historically, many people trained to do a job settled down early in their career and stayed. This situation changed, and employers are often looking for more skills, different attitudes, or personal development. As the author states, people should expect the cheese to be moved. There is no longer guarantee for employment for a lifetime. Finding cheese (happiness, satisfaction) in new places is essential to survival. Indeed, in several professions, there is a need for updating knowledge to remain competitive. As the 21^st Century Skill Book’s recent report (11) confirm: “two essential skill sets will remain at the top of the list of job requirements for 21st century work:

• The ability to quickly acquire and apply new knowledge
• The know-how to apply essential 21st century skills—problem solving, communication, teamwork, technology use, innovation, and the rest—to each and every project,  the primary unit of 21st century work

This new requirement to adapt to change is in the focus of Johnson’s book.

Purpose of The Book

The author wrote a book to send out a “wake up call” for people around the world with the message: “the cheese will be moved”. When people still look at the same spot to find happiness, they refuse to change and adapt to the situation. For some, it is simply a habit of denial, others act of fear. The illustration of the most common human behaviors related to changes in careers, work, life is simplified in the book, using a parable of mice and little humans.  The author confirms that the book is suitable for entrepreneurs, students, homemakers and professionals alike. He states: “It seems pretty universal. It’s very much for freelance entrepreneurs and noncorporate folks as well. The Red Cross is using it. Ohio State University’s athletic department uses it for incoming freshman athletes to help them with the change of going from being big cheeses in high school to a huge university with 20,000 to 40,000 students (Barnes & Noble).

Central Idea

The central idea of the book is that people in today’s fast moving world need to adapt quickly to changes in order to find “new cheese”. Oftentimes, they think that the old cheese is better, and they are afraid to go out in the maze. The author states that he has seen people make this mistake and struggle through their career searching for the happiness that was not there any more. People want to hold on to the old ways even if they do not work any more. In the parable, Hem does not eat for days. He refuses searching for the new cheese. Even though he is scared, Haw puts on his running shoes and goes back to the maze. It takes him some time to make a decision, and there are some dead end roads, he enjoys the search. He, at the same time, learns from his mistake. He starts taking a note of the “cheese situation” to be able to change quickly when needed. He checks the amount and smell of the cheese. If it gets old, it is time to move. When it starts disappearing, there is a need for Plan B.

Key Points

The key points of the book are highlighted by the author as the statements written on the wall of the maze by Haw. The first statement is: “Having cheese makes you happy”. It is true. People have goals in life. They would like a family, a nice home, a good job. It makes them happy. They then enter a state of comfort, like Haw and Hem. The next statement is that “The More Important Your Cheese Is To You The More You Want To Hold On To It”. Translated to the world of work, it means that the happier you are in your job, and the more comfortable you are with your position, the harder it is to leave it behind. The third slogan that Haw writes on the wall as a signpost for Hem and for the way back is: “If You Do Not Change, You Can Become Extinct”. Indeed, many people only change when the danger of staying becomes greater than the danger of moving on. In this parable, Haw realizes that the only way out is to move on to the “new cheese”. He realizes this late, only when staying endangers his life: he can die of hunger.

The real change of mindset comes when Haw asks himself: “What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?”. He knows that it is too late and he should have moved on earlier. So, he reminds himself: “Smell The Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old”. The final message of the story is related to moving on: “When You Move Beyond Your Fear, You Feel Free”.

Use of The Book for New Managers

The book can be used by new managers to find new, innovative ways of motivating people. It can also help them understand that the easiest, most comfortable route might not generate the greatest results. Becoming open-minded, like Haw, and planning for change is essential for “survival”. Companies, markets, structures, hierarchies, priorities within organizations change on a daily basis. The question is: how successfully one is able to adapt to the change. Being afraid of changes is the main obstacle of personal and career development.

Evaluation

When reading the book, I identified myself with Hem. I am not quick to adapt to changes. Being in the military there are always new NAVADMINS or Messages that usually include changes that personnel must adapt to changes or new rules, it is generally human nature to be reluctant to change. Military would not have been such a great organization if our leaders were afraid of the everyday challenges that we face, as a Sailor I have to learn to live my life according to these three golden words: honor, courage and commitment; to compare with the author’s point of view I consider commitment to be most important because it us to be committed to positive change and constant improvement; and to work together as a team to improve the quality of our work, our people and ourselves. As discussed in the book, for Hem, it took a long time to realize that his survival depended on changing. The challenge is to find a strong enough motivation to adapt to new situations. The book has helped and gave me a new understand about the fear of change and resistance to new situations, challenges are for the better.

For new managers, the book is extremely useful, because it provides a blueprint of how to deal with change. Becoming a leader and having to organize employees is a new challenge. Trying innovative methods to cope with difficulties and make teams more competitive is a valuable management asset. The book tells leaders that in order to be competitive, they need to react to changes in a proactive manner.

Reviews

Over the past decades, the book “Who Moved My Cheese” has received positive press, and some criticism. According to the author (Barnes & Noble), some people have found it hard to understand why mice are more successful. The simple answer is: they have instincts, no past experiences and preconceptions. Tom Butler-Bowdon, for example argues: “Most employees are employees because they prefer the security of a set wage under the apparent protection of large enterprise. For others, the chief benefit may be that for most of the day they do not have to really think; they ‘complete tasks’”.

One of the main critics of the book is Deepak Malhotra, who created a reaction paper: “I Moved Your Cheese: For Those Who Refuse To Live As Mice In Someone Else’s Maze”. The author tells entrepreneurs and managers that there is another way: the maze can be controlled and changed, according to their will, instead of accepting change. In this book, the person moving the cheese is the manager; he has an active role, instead of a passive one: searching for the “cheese”.

Indeed, I agree with the criticism of professor  Malhotra. Today’s managers should be pro-active, instead of reactive. While the book tells the readers that it is important to “keep an eye on the inventory” and monitor changes, it is also important that when one thing does not work as well as it used to, managers take action and move the cheese themselves. One of the main qualities of managers is to initiate change and spot threats, opportunities at an early stage. Hem and Haw failed to do so, therefore, they would not make good managers, but remain employees completing tasks for life.

Conclusion

Reading the “Who Moved my Cheese” has made me realize how challenging today’s life is compared to the past. Industries appear and disappear. Companies adapt to changes and win over huge markets. If Apple did not move onto the “new thing” of music players and mobile devices, it would not have Number 5 place on the Fortune 500 list of companies. Likewise, if Amazon did not move to the digital book market, they would be still lagging behind, and would not be the one of the most successful companies in the world. According to Parker, the main asset of the company is “Amazon’s unconventionality is its ability to structure its business model in unexpected ways”. The leadership reacts to market changes and acts upon them; just like the characters in “Who moved my cheese” find the “cheese” at a different location.

Works Cited

21^st Century Skills. “What is 21st century learning?” 2013. Web.

Butler-Bowdon, T. “Success Classics. Who Moved My Cheese? (1998) Spencer Johnson” In: 50 Success Classics: Winning Wisdom For Work and Life from 50 Landmark Books. 2004. Print.

Johnson, S. “Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life” 1998. Print.

Malhotra, D. “  I Moved Your Cheese: For Those Who Refuse to Live as Mice in Someone Else’s Maze” 2013. Print.

Mind Perk “Spencer Johnson Biography” 2013. Web.

Parker, G. “How Amazon’s Unconventional Business Model Changed Me From Hater To Customer For Life”. 2012. Web.