"Change" is difficult (for people being told to change) because they have no idea what the change means for them and their work. More likely, they see that the change means absolutely nothing to them: it's just additional busy work with no bearing on how they operate from day-to-day.
Give people a clear target and a reason for reaching it, and you will be amazed at the changes that simply happen in order to align to that target. It's powerful to see this in action.
The above inspired by Johnnie Moore's Against cheese movement...
Jon Husband found an engaging post by Kevin Carson taking aim at the thesis of the book, Who Moved my Cheese? ...
Kevin's interested in empathy, and the difference between the fake kind and the real thing. I think empathy is what gets left out of many narratives about how change happens. The desired future state somehow trumps the present, and stops us from being present to each other.
Interesting viewpoint expressed in the referenced articles. Beyond the fact that the book bothers them, Johnnie makes some useful commentary that suggests why "change" is so hard.