The book “who stole my cheese” explains how to deal with change. The book features a cartoon with rather stereotypical characters; Sniff, Scurry, mice, Haw and Hem. The story of these cartoons reveals different attitudes and reactions following unexpected loss of food supply.
The mice, Scurry and Sniff become desperate about their missing cheese. As Scurry runs in all directions, Sniff uses his scent to begin his quest for new cheese. Sniff can smell change in the air; Scurry immediately goes into action; Hem does not want to change under any circumstance while Haw on the other hand is startled by change, laughs and moves on to find new cheese .At long last, the mice found new cheese and made a home near their new supply.
For Haw and Hem, cheese is a metaphor for a comfort zone. Cheese in this context is whatever an individual deems important in life. Cheese in our lives can be job security, health, comfort in relationships or financial security. Whatever your cheese, it can be stolen (or moved) it’s not always under one’s control. This is why we must anticipate, monitor and embrace change; the quicker the better.
Organizational behavior on the other hand, deals with discipline and the impact of individuals’ behavior on organizations performance. Emphasis is majorly on interpersonal communication, group structure, attitude development and change process. Maintaining good relationships, a positive fun working environment and training improves employee and customer satisfaction. Like in the book ‘who stole my cheese,’ organizational behaviors such as employee loyalty, job satisfaction and productivity act as their ‘cheese.’ Improving employees’ ‘cheese’ and embracing change therefore improves organizations growth.
In conclusion, different individuals can sniff out of upcoming change, whine/resist change, lament about it or like Haw, accept it and move in a new direction. Eventually he discovered the new cheese. The book “who stole my cheese” teaches us to maintain positive attitudes once our ‘cheese’ is lost or missing. A perspective I agree with, however, change imposed is change opposed and should be dealt with systematically.