You can lead a man to logic, but you can't make him think.

I think part of this depends on the personality involved. Some people are naturally curious about finding better ways to do their job, others aren't. They're perfectly satisfied with their habits and really wish the curious ones would just go away. It's unfortunate, but exists.

Here are a couple of other ideas that may help:

• Make sure you go to your co-workers when you're stuck. Use them as a resource and collaborate on solutions. They'll feel like they're helping you and, in turn, may be more open to your suggestions. Who knows? Maybe they do have a useful trick or two?

• Obtain a copy of The Pragmatic Programmer and read it while you're at the office (during lunch and breaks, of course). Start practising its ideas in your work. As your quality improves, others may notice and ask about it. Don't get overly zealous, just point them to the book and show them how it's helped you. You might also suggest it to your manager.

• Consider fostering an informal get-together during non-development time. At one job, for example, I helped start a series of non-mandatory "brown bags" at lunch time where people would offer short (15-20 mins) presentations and everyone would discuss the information round-robin. It turned out to be a great way of a) sharing knowledge, b) getting feedback from your team, and c) knitting the team together. In the end, we weren't just a bunch of coders, we were a team. In turn, people were more open and accepting of alternate approaches.

Keep in mind, though, that there's only so much you can do. True change only comes from within. You have to lead quietly through example and demonstrate true benefits if you want people to consider adopting your ideas.

--f