Constant Change Within My Work example essay topic

After reading Who Moved My Cheese, I have determined that the four characters, two "mice" (Sniff & Scurry) and two "little people" (Hem & Haw), represent the simple and complex parts of ourselves. Sniff sniffs out change early, Scurry scurries into action, Hem denies and resists change as he fears it will lead to something worse, and Haw learns to adapt in time when he sees changing leads to something better. They are all parts of us. They resemble and belong to us. Sometimes I look like Sniff, walk like Scurry, talk like Hem, and work like Haw.

Foolish is Hem as he doesn't know what to do with an empty cheese station, and he stops looking for new cheese elsewhere, and wise are the two mice and Haw since they face the music, know how to have fun with change, and succeed in locating fresh cheese. Hapless Hem is hemmed in fear and destined to go extinct, while happy Haw travels beyond fear and will be distinguished. If the former is a prisoner of freedom and change, the latter is a player of liberty and transition. My co-worker, Jason, reminds me of Hem because he hates change. Every time something doesn't go quite right he throws a temper tantrum, and refuses to continue his daily tasks. I find it impossible to work with him on those days, and it puts everyone else in a miserable mood.

However, Krista is really good at handling any situation, and when things are changing she is always prepared. This type of attitude helps everyone else relax, and cope with change. In today's society, we need to be free as the wind and love change as much as possible. In order to be an effective manager, the manager would have to act more like Sniff and Scurry. This would demonstrate the manager's ability to adapt to change quickly, and help the employees follow in this behavior. It's hard to change and stay productive without genuine enthusiasm.

Having a strong team during change is also important. One common mistake is holding onto somebody who doesn't respond well to change. An effective manager will replace him with someone that adapts better during difficult situations. Four out of Haw's seven handwritten memos on the wall for his friend Hem catch my eyes: 1) Change happens! Continuous advances in technology and increasingly competitive markets have made organizational change routine.

I have experienced constant change within my work place; it can be drastic so we all must stay prepared. 2) Adapt to change quickly! In our work place, there are two choices to make when change is occurring. We can either do nothing like Hem or learn to adapt to change like Haw. Doing nothing is a non-activity that goes along with statements such as "if we wait long enough things will return to normal". Based on my experience with the organization, waiting a little longer to see if management is serious about a change might be the right thing to do.

However, if the change is real, this strategy would not be very useful. As Haw found out, you can get mighty hungry waiting. However, if we know that things are changing around us in the workplace, we should adapt. Those with an ability to adapt quickly and make a commitment to the change have learned to find value in the new setting. 3) Change! Move with the cheese!

4) Enjoy change! Our highly competitive environment forces organizations into states of constant transition. The way to maintain personal equilibrium and manage stress is to treat change as normal and be prepared for it. Stay resilient and calm, recognize new opportunities and take advantage of them when they come. There are many points at work where we realize that we are like the little humans in this story. We keep complaining about things and never attempt to move ahead and find solutions to on the job complications.

Once we are in a comfortable position, we feel we are going to be there forever and we sometimes even go to weird limits to retain our position, forgetting that change is inevitable. This story reminds me to accept the fact that change happens and favorable circumstances become unfavorable. We, human beings, cannot control change, but we should anticipate it and take the right steps to handle it positively. Whether we like it or not, change is not a choice, it is merely the way things are. To a great extent, this book helps relieve one of the fear and anxiety about managing the future. It effectively conveys how to deal with changing times providing us with a method for moving ahead with our professional and personal lives safely and effectively.