They aren't focused on the practical needs of finding more cheese. Instead, they react emotionally. They complain that it's not fair and become depressed. They spend a lot of time looking around and hoping that the cheese will return. They even return to the same spot the next day to see if the cheese has returned. These reactions by Hem and Haw show how being attached emotionally complicates the situation. It also shows how ineffective this response to the situation is. It must be noted that Sniff and Scurry have already left and discovered more cheese. This is Johnson's way of showing how trying to fight or deny change is ineffective. Once change happens, there is no point hoping that things will return to normal. Instead, you have to respond to the changes and adapt to the new situation. This message is delivered as Hem and Haw continually have their cheese moved, eventually learning to expect change and adapt when it happens. Overall then, Johnson's basic advice to people is to prepare for change so it doesn't surprise you, to expect change so you don't react to it by feeling like you have been wronged, and to face changes by taking positive action. Johnson shows that with this attitude to change, it can actually be a positive thing. This is a fairly simple message and isn't a new approach to coping with change. The effectiveness of the book isn't that it unveils a new technique. Instead, it is that the parable allows people to see a different view of how they respond to change. Using creatures in a...

The value in this is that it allows for an overall view of what people value and why they act the way they do. It lacks the detail, but the simple metaphor of the maze as life shows the larger scale. Rather than focusing on the minor details, people can gain a broader view and begin to question their actions. Considering that reacting to change is an emotional process, this broader view is useful in seeing the issues more clearly. It is easy to look at Hem and Haw and see that no matter how much they want the cheese to stay in the same place, there is no point just hoping that it does. Even though Sniff and Scurry are simpler, their approach is more effective. Overall then, the book is most useful because it shows the bigger picture, removes the emotional element, and allows people a distanced view of their own actions that can help them to see change and themselves in a new way.
In the end then, while the parable of the four characters in a maze seems simplistic, it does actually succeed in delivering a message about change. It delivers a basic message about expecting, accepting, and adapting to change. This message is not new and is hardly groundbreaking. However, Johnson's method of delivering it via the parable makes the message new, relevant, and effective.

Bibliography

Johnson, S. (1994). Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life. New York: Penguin.