Whilst considerable investment has been made in research intended to improve industry practices, the extent of practice change sometimes falls short. Less research has been conducted in understanding why change is so difficult to implement. Agriculture has a long history of research into improving production systems. More recently, attention is also being paid to value chains beyond the farm gate. Yet every production system and value chain is first and foremost a social system, comprised of people with individual and collective behaviours. In this neglected arena lies the potential for greatest gains, socially, economically and environmentally. The paper will explain why people tend to be naturally conservative and resistant to change. Based on the simple premise that we cannot manage what we do not understand, the intent,