Change Assignment
Discussion – Change
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Who Moved My Cheese? (Full Movie) (Links to an external site.)
Please watch the cartoon provided. Both links are for the same video – choose the one that plays for you. The first is through YouTube but is not well captioned and the second is hosted on the campus server and has captions. This is a short cartoon based on a little book about change management called “Who Moved My Cheese?” by Spencer Johnson. Take a few minutes to reflect on the characters Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw. Next choose at least 2 questions below to respond to for your discussion post. Be sure to respond to at least 2 classmates as well as anyone who comments on your initial post.
1. In the parable, Johnson says the four characters represent the four parts of ourselves, from the simple to the complex. What does he mean: which character represents which part of ourselves? Is there one character you relate to more than the others?
2. Why is it so hard for most of us (all of us?) to accept change?
3. Would you yell, “It’s not fair!” if someone “moved your cheese,” or would you be like the mice, and immediately start to look for New Cheese? Why?
4. In the book, Hem writes a question on the wall as he goes through the maze. He wrote on the wall (p. 48): “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” Answer this question.
5. At another point in the discussion towards the end of the book one participant writes, “old cheese is like old stuff you do all the time and don’t even think about…like old behavior that you need to stop.” What are some old behaviors (habits) or “cheese” that you want to stop doing?
6. How can you as a manager help people deal with change?
7. What else did you get out of this little video that relates to the chapter or your own life/work experiences?
8. How did Haw actually move forward eventually? What had to happen to move him to that point?
If you liked this video, I encourage you to check out the full book by Spencer Johnson called Who Moved My Cheese. It’s a pretty quick read (or listen on audio book) and the lessons are certainly valuable.
