‘Colleagues against virtually everything’ - why do we resist change?

I find that most people are naturally resistant to change most of the time - it’s probably an evolutionary trait.

We’ve spent most of the last 2 million years in environments where a tried and tested solution would help the majority of people survive. The tribe where everyone insisted on trying new paths through the treacherous jungle every day died out.

Our ancestors were the tribe where the majority were happy to use the established paths safely, and where a few pioneers would try new routes with potential new benefits without risking the survival of the majority.

(Of course, the tribe that never tried anything new also died out as they never adapted at all.)

I’ve found it helps me get less frustrated in working environments to acknowledge that most of us are programmed to resist change. A grouping of mainly conservative people with a few pioneers and early-adopters confers an evolutionary benefit. It is therefore quite natural and understandable, in my view, to anticipate obstructions to innovation from our peers.

(It’s also quite natural for the more pioneering types of people to feel frustrated and exasperated in highly conservative environments).

How, then, to encourage organisations to value and thrive on innovation and to welcome change?