Conventional Wisdom on Change Management

From Prof. Albert Anghern of Insead:

The Russians rioted in the 1840s when the government tried to persuade them to grow potatoes. Why? Because being used to living mainly on rye bread, they suspected a plot to turn them into slaves and force a new religion on them. …and yet within fifty years they where in love with potatoes!

What happened? The explanation is that they added the same sourness – kislotu – which had always given savour to their food, and which was what they were ultimately addicted to.

Moral: "Every people puts its own scent on its food, and it accepts change only if it can conceal the change from itself, by smothering each novelty in its scent. Optimism about change, whether in politics, economics or culture, is only possible if this premise is accepted. ” Theodore Zeldin - An Intimate History of Humanity