Rita Dhital

Kathmandu:

Based on Spencer Johnson’s bestseller ‘Who Moved My Cheese?’, a one-day workshop was organised by The Himalayan Times and Standard Chartered Bank in association with Soaltee Crown Plaza and Fun And Joy at Work at Hotel Soaltee on May 27. Dairy Development Corporation and Photo Concern co-sponsored the workshop. Training and development consultant Dr RL Bhatia, who has already conducted the workshop in India and elsewhere with great success more that 754 times in the last five years, was the facilitator at the cheese workshop. Change is usually associated with fear and uncertainty. Since people believe that change should come from within, the mode of presentation was interactive with group discussions, dealing with change in workplace as well as that in life. There were about 110 participants of all professions and profiles including corporates, bankers, diplomats, college principals and social workers. The participants felt that the presentation was not just a lecture but an experience they went through.

Dr Bhatia moved from table to table asking questions to the participants and encouraging them to speak after the screening of video clippings each of which were of two-four minutes duration. He, in fact, gave gifts of candies and whistles to those who came up with the right answers. This was a presentation with a difference in that it was not a one-way presentation at all: he wanted the listeners to respond actively. Dr Bhatia disseminated information about other books and websites for further reading. A certificate of participation was given to the participants. Being one of the organisers, Bina Rana, head of corporate affairs at Standard Chartered Bank, highlighted the importance of workshops of this kind, saying, “Times are changing so fast that we really need to adapt ourselves to it in order to succeed in life. Change management being, therefore, a relevant subject today, we believe in sharing good work practices among people. A workshop like this will definitely force people to think about this very relevant issue.”

One of the participants, DN Khandelwal, who is director of Triveni Synpacks Pvt. Ltd, said, “It was a wonderful experience to improve and analyse oneself and inculcate positive thinking.” Srijana Thapa, director, Photo Concern, exclaimed, “The programme was lively and interactive and we got the opportunity to learn great things easily. The seminar is not easily forgettable.” Dr Bhatia said, “This workshop aims to bring change in the attitude and mindset of the people. And seeing participants so enthusiastic and encouraging, I am confident that the workshop will contribute in bringing about positive changes in the life and work of these people.” The Centre for Change Management is a Mumbai based learning resource centre founded by Dr RL Bhatia some four years ago. The centre conceived one of its training modules based on the bestselling book ‘Who Moved My Cheese?’