The Key Characteristic of the Who Moved my Cheese - Essay Example

? Change Management Paper The key characteristic of the “Who Moved my Cheese?” book is that it refers to a series of situations, which everyone is likely to face during his life – even at different levels. This book helped me to face effectively a series of problems in my daily life, as analyzed below. I have chosen five things I’ve learned through the book and which were proved valuable for my personal life. The first important thing I’ve learned by reading this book is that change is a complex process, being based on both external and internal factors. Through the continuous development of technology – an external factor – the conditions in life are likely to be changed constantly. Being depended on situations or things which are expected to be extinguished it is not wise. Moreover, the personal beliefs and attitudes of each person are likely to affect his responses to change; these beliefs, attitudes and skills can be characterized as internal factors intervening in the development of the change process. On the other hand, the leadership skills, also regarded as internal factors, of an individual will affect his decision but also his performance. In this context, the level at which each person will be able to respond to change is difficult to be standardized; rather it is likely to be changed periodically – especially when the changes in the internal or the external factors that intervene in the specific process are significant. The second important thing I realized after reading the specific book is that change process is likely to be developed into four phases; this fact implies that the successful completion of the change process – referring to each individual – is not guaranteed. From another point of view it could be stated that the change process, as an event independent from each person’s life, is expected to be completed in any case; the level at which each person will be able to follow the change process can be differentiated among people – it is here where the internal factors mentioned previously are likely to intervene. The four phases through which each change process is consisted – as derived through the book – are the following ones: a) the comfort and control phase: everything in the life of a person seems to run in accordance with the schedule; no problem seems to exist, giving to the person a feeling of comfort, happiness and safety. However, a more careful observation of the events of the person’s life could lead to the assumption that changes are likely to appear; b) in the second phase of the change process, the changes in daily life appear; the person starts to feel angry for having to cope with new standards and to face a series of problems which he had not foreseen. At this phase, resistance usually follows the anger for the change; the person denies to follow the new standards and to change his customs/ behavior. The duration of this phase can be differentiated among people in accordance with the personal attitudes and perceptions (again the internal factors influencing the change process, as described earlier, are expected to intervene); c) the stressful phase is expected to follow; in this phase inquiry and discovery are likely to replace the angry and resistance. In the specific phase, a person is likely to seek for solutions, hoping he will manage to respond to the needs of change. In the specific phase, experimentation is valuable, leading the person to identify solutions which are feasible, taking into consideration the resources available and the personal skills/ competencies; d) in the fourth phase, the good phase, the person who managed to follow the phases of the change process, as analyzed above, becomes self-confident, a fact that indicates his commitment to the specific effort. The person who manages to reach this phase is ready to face effectively the next change process – which is likely to follow shortly. Another important thing I’ve learned through this book is that effort is always valuable; even if initially the results seem to be disappointed, i.e. even if initially there are no encouraging signs regarding the success of the efforts made for responding to change. In fact, it has been proved that the specific factor is always expected to appear discouraging the person from keeping his efforts to respond to the needs of the change process. At the next level, through this book I’ve learned the importance of cooperation and communication; when a person is willing to listen the views of other people he is most likely to understand the demands of a change process; this person is also likely to understand easier the reasons for the appearance of the change process and the steps that should be made for responding to it. By refusing to listen to Haw, Hem contributed in the delay of humans to follow the change process – as the problem is reflected in the book. If he had listened to Haw from the first instance, valuable time would have been saved for the humans/ characters of the book to respond to the change in progress. Finally, through reading the book I’ve learned that the ability of a person to respond to the change process cannot be judged in advance. It is always possible for a person to change his perceptions and follow a different way for confronting the problems/ changes appearing in his life. Referring to the book, Hem would not be expected to change his view, being reluctant to the suggestions of Haw up to the last moment. However, he decided to change his perceptions/ response to the change, a fact that lead to the resolution of the problem – identification of the new Cheese Station. Hem was proved slow in adapting to change. However, finally, he understood the necessity of change and in this way he had the chance to enjoy the cheese. In real terms, this means that even if responding late, the effort to participate in the change process is important offering valuable benefits. My personal experience on change proves that it is always important to adapt to change as it is the only way to achieve the personal goals and aims even if the obstacles are many. Basically my situation is as follows. In 2007 I came to US aiming to study in northern Virginia community college. I lived with my brother in a townhouse. Our cousins had also come in US for studies. In 2007 one of our cousins moved in an apartment next to my apartment. By 2008 two more of my cousins came to the US and rented a nearby apartment. During my studies, for the period 2007-2009, I met a lot of people and I made new friends. In the University everything was fine, my performance was quite satisfactory, reaching the 2.8 (GPA). I got used to life in the US and kept enjoying every moment of it. However - the change starts here - by the end of 2009 my brother graduated and went back to Qatar. Soon after that, he got engaged while a few months later he decided to get married. I decided to go back and help my brother to be prepared for his wedding - I didn’t help much though since he had it all figured out. In order to respond to the needs of this event, I took a year off from college and decided to transfer my credit to a University instead. In 2010, I returned in US. However, by this time all my friends and cousins had either graduated or dropped out. The first few days in the US were miserable for me. I realized that I knew no one and I had to start my life all over again. (My cheese moved) for the first few months I thought about dropping out of college and going back (becoming a Hem); however, I realized - specially after all the time I spent in college - it wouldn’t be wise of me to go back. However, I was so stressed that I thought going back was the only solution. I called my mother and explained her the problem. She referred to the benefits of college and how it’s going to change my life; she also kept telling me to meet new people since such initiative would help me to manage the problem more effectively. So I decided to put on my running shoes and start looking for my cheese. The cheese in my story - I guess - it was the fact that I had to get used to my new life in the US. I started making new friends in the US and eventually got used to the life here and I am enjoying it very much. This is how I can relate the change in my life to the story of (Who Moved my Cheese?): 1. Between 2007-2009 I was in “Cheese station C”; I had plenty of cheese to eat with my hems and haws and scurries and sniffs; my Qatari friends were Mostly Hems and Haws while my Saudi friends were closer to Sniff and Scurry. They got used to change quite easily and were able to graduate pretty fast compared to us Qatari Hems and Haws. In other words: I was in my comfort and control zone. Safe happy, satisfied, positive, comfortable and everything was under control. 2. After going back to Qatar I became a Hem. I was waiting for the cheese to come to me; however, it didn’t come to me; instead I got more depressed. I had nothing to do and every time someone talks about college it depresses me even more. At this point I had to change, I was in the fear and resistance part of my change. I was Hostile to those who talked about college. Upset with the fact that people thought of me as a failure. Lost and Confused. 3. By the end of 2010 I eventually realized that I had to change. I became a Haw and put on my running shoes and tried to convince my Hem cousin to come with me. However, my cousin refused insisting that his cheese is in Qatar. I wasn’t able to convince him. By December 2010 I took a plane to Washington DC and started my new life. Initially, it was scary and I was afraid; yet I had to adapt to it. Now I am enjoying it very much. I am also willing to adapt to new changes as soon as they come. By the beginning of this phase I was in the Inquiry and Experimentation part of the change process: I was still confused and afraid that it wouldn’t work out. However, I was making progress. I tried to follow, as possible, all the different directions in life and searched for solution. My family, especially my mother, helped me a lot to get over this period. I eventually accepted the change. I finally made it to my new cheese. I was relieved, comfortable, satisfied and successful. There are also some other parts of the “Who Moved my Cheese?” story that can be related to my story: “If You Do Not Change, You Can Become Extinct”: If I hadn’t adapt to the changes and went back to Qatar without finishing my education I probably would have become a Hem. I wouldn’t have gotten new cheese (Work) or hadn’t probably had a good social life (another type of cheese). “What Would You Do If You Weren’t Afraid?”: If I wasn’t afraid of the changes that I had to go through in my new life in the US, I would probably had ignored the demands of such effort. I would have made wrong decisions. So I eventually “When you move beyond your fear, you feel free.” By winning my fears I managed to start a new life in US. In general, it can be stated that the forces that created the need for this change were probably related to my need for personal development, a target that could be mostly achieved by returning in Washington and finishing my studies. The adaptation to change was achieved rather by acting immediately – as soon as the value of the change was made clear; there was no particular planning for adapting to change. Rather, it was a decision, which not extensively analyzed – aiming to avoid any delay in realizing it. The important detail for the successful adaptation to the change had been the support of my family – especially my mother. Having to face no resistance from my family environment - on the contrary I was urged to continue my studies in US – probably I would have failed in responding to the needs of the change process. If my decisions and actions in relation to the change I had to manage are analyzed using the Kotter’s eight step plan to implement change, then the following issues should be highlighted: among the eight steps that Kotter suggests for implementing change I was able to follow just five: a) I managed to establish a sense of urgency; after the marriage of my brother I started to figure out the potentials for my return in USA. I didn’t lose time (as possible), b) I created a new vision; even if a year had passed and there were many chances that obstacles would exist for my successful re-establishment in US, still I started to think the benefits of this decision, especially in the long term; c) I shared this vision with my cousin and d) tried to communicate with him effectively – meaning the adaptation to change, i.e. how the return in US would be best organized so that risks are minimized; however, I didn’t persuade him on the necessity of such initiative even if I did my best for empowering him removing any potential barriers, e) after my return in US it was made clear that I had to adapt to a new style of life – mostly due to the changes in my social environment, as explained earlier. I did it successfully, reinforcing the changes; in this context I had the chance to be better prepared for the next change – whenever it appears. After facing the change, I became able to face effectively similar challenges, in the context of the following rules included in the book: a) ‘Change Happens’: I had accepted that change is always possible to appear, even if the living conditions are standardized and if the routine of life and work seem to be well scheduled, b) ‘Monitor Change’: I’ve also learnt that following the change is not the only obligation – when trying to adapt to change; it needs to monitor change, i.e. to check its potential differentiation under the influence of various factors, for instance the conditions of the local economy or the political events of a particular period, c) ‘Adapt to Change Quickly’: most of all, I learned that any delay when being adapted to change can have severe risks. My decision to return in US without planning the process was quite critical for the success of the relevant effort; even if time had already lost, the further loss of time due to lack of confidence in following change was avoided. The book “Who Moved my Cheese?” helped me to have a different view of my decision to return in US; then, I thought that such decision could be possibly quite risky. However, after reading the above book I realize that following change is an indispensable part of life. In fact it is only through change that personal development can be achieved. My decision to follow change, even if then I was not aware of the value of change, was proved quite important for my future. Works Cited Johnson, S. Who Moved My Cheese? New York: Penguin Group, 1998 Read More