Resistance to change (was free format question)

Since this thread has transformed to what shops do and don't do from a
free format question, I started a new thread.

I've noticed that the shops I've been in since I got out of school 11
years ago pretty much fall into one of 4 categories:

1. The "If it isn't broke don't mess with it" shop.  This is the shop
that refuses to try anything new because the way they do things has
worked up until now.  You can't even suggest new techniques to the
programmers in these shops.  That's our standard and we're sticking to
it.
  
2. The "We want to change, but don't want to learn anything new" shops.
This is the shop that brings you in to help update their systems but as
soon as you mention "Service Program" the change is bad group starts in
and the updating gets put on hold.  You can suggest new ways of doing
things, just don't expect them to allow you to do them.

3. The "Code however you want, but we're not changing shop" shop.  This
is the shop that lets you try new things as long as you explain what you
are doing.  The other programmers sit in review meetings and say that's
a better way to do it, but I'll still do it my way.  You grow, they
don't and over time the different coding styles start to drive everyone
nuts.

4. The "we want to move forward" shop.  This is the shop I am currently
in.  I show them new techniques and they use them.  But what's better is
they don't wait for me to show them something they ask "is there a
better way"?  In two years we've gone from RPGII & III only code, to
free form ILE RPG programming with service programs, embedded SQL and
RPG calls to java classes.  Our standards change every time we find a
better way to do something.

I have finally found a good home.  There are good shops out there it
just takes awhile to find them, 9 years in my case.

Michael Tobey
Foremost Farms USA (Consumer Products)
mike.tobey@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx