Book Review

Who moved my cheese (Spencer Johnson)

&

I moved your cheese (Deepak Malhotra)

By: Mohamed Azmi Taufik

Who moved my cheese I moved your cheese

i. Sniff ii. Scurryiii. Hem iv. Haw

i. Maxii. Zediii. Big

Main characters

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Adapting to environment changes - Change is inevitable - Able to sense changes - Analyse the changes - Accept changes - Work around the changes accordingly - Look for opportunities elsewhere - Need to adapt to be successful - Faster adaptation to changes the

better - Change is inevitable

- People /org resist changes - People /org are slow to adapt

- Don’t think & don’t ask - Just accept & react

Challenging the environment changes - No need to adapt to changes to

be successful - Find different path - Look into own competency (core) - Find different niche - Do something else that does not

related to the changes

- Challenge the changes - Ask questions - Be the environment changer - Control the changes

Who moved my cheese I moved your cheese

Perspectives on environment /external changes

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Business Perspectives

Who moved my cheese I moved your cheese

Innovation, entrepreneurship, creativity, problem solving, and business growth- Ability to challenge accepted

notions, - reshape the environment, - play by a different set of

rules

By analysing assumptions about the limitations and discover how to overcome them.

Change the ‘game’ to your design and not affected by the changes

Monitor, sense and evaluate surrounding business changes, threats and opportunities

Use available resources, strength and limitation to address the situation changes to organisation advantage

Revamp strategies to adapt to external situations and remain competitive

Address employees resistance to changes

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Comments

WMMC is a good book – adapt to the changes but it was not complete from the perspective of DM (IMYC).

An organisation does not need to change according to the environment changes but must challenge the changes and seek its own course within its core competency, resources and limitations

To be successful does not means to accept the changes without questioning and challenging the changes. One can also be successful if he move beyond or outside the ‘walls’

It depends on the type of business and business environment whether to adapt to the surrounding changes or to move away from the change. Both can be successful or destructive – depends on the strategies being adopted.

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Takeaways

1. Change is inevitable – need to adapt - adapt and change accordingly, or - find different alternatives

2. Always good to question and challenge things that come and not to follow blindly

3. Things change – get over it and move on

4. In implementing organisational changes, managers need to look into and cater the human factor

5. Always monitor the changes and review business strategies

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