Who Move My Cheese
Teodosio Shepperd
Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life, published on September 8, 1998, is a bestselling work and motivational business fable by Spencer Johnson. The text describes the way one reacts to major change in one's work and life, and four typical reactions to those changes by two mice and two "Littlepeople," during their hunt for "cheese." A New York Times business bestseller upon release, Who Moved My Cheese? remained on the list for almost five years and spent over 200 weeks on Publishers Weekly's hardcover nonfiction list.[1] As of 2018, it has sold almost 30 million copies worldwide[2][3] in 37 languages and remains one of the best-selling business books.[4] This book guides the reader to anticipate change, adapt to change quickly, enjoy change and be ready to change quickly, again and again.
An allegory, Who Moved My Cheese? features four characters: two mice, "Sniff" and "Scurry," and two Littlepeople, metaphorical humans, "Hem" and "Haw". The Littlepeople's names derive from the phrase "hem and haw," a term for indecisiveness. They live in a maze, a representation of one's environment, and they look for cheese, representative of happiness and success. Initially without cheese, the mice and humans pair off and explore the lengthy corridors searching for cheese. One day both groups discover a cheese-filled corridor at "Cheese Station C". Content with their find, the humans establish routines around their daily intake of cheese, slowly becoming arrogant in the process.
One day Sniff and Scurry arrive at Cheese Station C to find no cheese left. They are not surprised; having previously observed the cheese supply dwindling, they have mentally prepared for the arduous but inevitable task of finding more cheese. Leaving "Cheese Station C" behind, they hunt for new cheese together. Hem and Haw then discover no cheese at Cheese Station C. Angered and annoyed, Hem demands, "Who moved my cheese?" The humans are unprepared for this situation, having previously assumed the cheese supply to be constant. After acknowledging the cheese is indeed gone they get angry at the unfairness of the situation. Haw suggests a search for new cheese, but Hem is dead-set in his disappointment and dismisses the proposal.
Meanwhile, Sniff and Scurry find "Cheese Station N", with new cheese. Back at Cheese Station C, Hem and Haw blame each other for their problem. Hoping to change, Haw again proposes a search for new cheese, but Hem is comforted by his old routine and is frightened about the unknown, so he knocks the idea again. One day, having discovered his debilitating fears, Haw begins to chuckle at the situation and stops taking himself so seriously. Realizing he should simply move on, Haw enters the maze, after chiseling "If You Do Not Change, You Can Become Extinct" on the wall of Cheese Station C for Hem to ponder.
Still fearful of his trek, Haw jots "What Would You Do If You Weren't Afraid?" on the wall and, after thinking about that, he begins his venture. Still plagued with worry (perhaps he has waited too long to begin his search...), Haw finds some bits of cheese that nourish him and he is able to continue his search. Haw realizes that the cheese has not suddenly vanished, but has dwindled from continual eating. After a stop at an empty cheese station, Haw begins worrying about the unknown again. Brushing aside his fears, Haw's new mindset allows him to again enjoy life. He has even begun to smile again! He is realizing that "When you move beyond your fear, you feel free." After another empty cheese station, Haw decides to go back to Hem with the few bits of new cheese he has managed to find.
Uncompromising, Hem refuses the new cheese, to his friend's disappointment. With knowledge learned along the way, Haw heads back into the maze. Getting deeper into the maze, inspired by bits of new cheese here and there, Haw leaves a trail of writings on the wall ("The Handwriting On the Wall"). These writings clarify his own thinking and give him hope that his friend will find aid in them during his search for new cheese. Still traveling, Haw one day comes across Cheese Station N, abundant with cheese, including some varieties that are strange to him, and he realizes he has found what he was looking for. After eating, Haw reflects on his experience. He ponders a return to see his old friend, but he decides to let Hem find his own way. Finding the largest wall in Cheese Station N, he writes:
Cautious from past experience, Haw now inspects Cheese Station N daily and explores different parts of the maze regularly to prevent complacency. Hearing movement in the maze one day, Haw realizes someone is approaching the station, and he hopes it is his friend Hem who has found the way.[5]
In 1999, Who Moved My Cheese Inc was founded to handle the Who Moved My Cheese? book order demands from businesses. In 2005, the company was reorganized as Spencer Johnson Partners with the idea of bringing in partners and additional content from Dr. Spencer Johnson, the author. Spencer Johnson Partners focused on creating additional programs and services that would continue to help clients navigate change, including Gaining Change Skills. Then, in 2009, the company was purchased and renamed Red Tree leadership.
In the corporate environment, management has been known to distribute this book to employees during times of "structural reorganization", or during cost-cutting measures, in an attempt to portray unfavorable or unfair changes in an optimistic or opportunistic way. This has been characterized by Barbara Ehrenreich in her book Bright-sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America as an attempt by organizational management to make employees quickly and unconditionally assimilate management ideals, even if they may prove detrimental to them professionally. Ehrenreich called the book "the classic of downsizing propaganda" and summarizes its message as "the dangerous human tendencies to 'overanalyze' and complain must be overcome for a more rodentlike approach to life. When you lose a job, just shut up and scamper along to the next one."[6]
Dilbert cartoonist Scott Adams said that patronizing parables are one of the top things he receives complaints about by email.[7] Adams' retort to the message in the parable is that it is a "patronizing message for the proletariat to acquiesce".[8]
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The book uses a simple and engaging narrative to convey profound life and work lessons. It revolves around four characters, two mice named Sniff and Scurry, and two "little people" named Hem and Haw, who live in a maze in search of cheese.
The story begins with all four characters happily finding a vast supply of cheese in the maze ("Cheese Station C"). This cheese represents their individual desires, such as wealth, success, relationships, or fulfillment. Sniff and Scurry are quick and instinctual, always adapting to change and moving on when the cheese is depleted. On the other hand, Hem and Haw are complacent and resist change, and assume that the cheese supply will never run out.
As the story unfolds, Hem and Haw experience the pain of their resistance to change and the fear of the unknown. They eventually realize that they must adapt and embrace change if they want to find cheese again. As Haw begins to see the situation differently, he writes down valuable lessons on the maze walls to help him cope with change and encourages Hem to do the same.
Just as the characters in the book need to anticipate the changing location of the cheese, customer experience professionals must help their companies anticipate and predict customer behavior. Businesses must shift from reactive to proactive engagement with customers if they want to stay relevant. By gathering and analyzing data, feedback, and trends using platforms like Qualtrics , businesses can identify opportunities for improvement and proactively address customer needs, preferences, and expectations. See our earlier review of The Adaptive Enterprise by Stephan Haeckel for more on becoming more of a sense and respond organization, or our blog series on Reimagining Insights together with Lou (Lewis) Carbone .
Businesses must also employ continuous improvement to amplify innovation. The journey of the characters in the book highlights the importance of ongoing iteration and constant movement. It is necessary for businesses to adopt continuous improvement cycles that tap into insights from structured and unstructured data (such as social media, ratings/reviews, call center voice-to-text transcriptions, live chat, or messaging) in a holistic way. Enhancing CX initiatives involves ongoing analysis, refinement, and optimization of customer experiences to ensure businesses continue to provide valuable products and services. For more on how you can amplify innovation, see our blog series on this topic here.
The book also reinforces the importance of the right mindsets and behaviors to navigate change, just as the characters in the book adapt to their changing lives in the maze. The lessons learned on the wall require constant motivation and commitment to put into practice. For more on how you can drive change and evolve your culture, reinforcing motivation and commitment to change for your CX vision, see our blog series on this topic here.
In summary, "Who Moved My Cheese" offers valuable insights into embracing change, anticipating customer needs, and continuously improving the customer experience. CX professionals can use these principles to guide businesses in enhancing and evolving their strategies and ultimately achieving long-term success.
Harvard Business School Professor Deepak Malhotra thinks not, and he has crafted an allegory with a decidedly un-mousy message. I Moved Your Cheese: For Those Who Refuse to Live as Mice in Someone Else's Maze is like Who Moved My Cheese? in that the new business fable also stars a cast of mice. But the similarity ends there.
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