Regressive change usually offers a simple quick 'solution' - and rarely anything more. A method with an end, so to speak. It builds upon the presumed ignorance or incompetence of our predecessors and peers, which we, the enlightened few, will overcome. It gains most of its momentum by proclaiming what's wrong with what is. Progress arises out of what is.
Progress builds on strengths.
Progress doesn't need someone to 'achieve it' and it certainly doesn't need coercion to come into being. It arises, sometimes like a phoenix from the ashes, and sometimes like fruit upon a tree - almost, but not quite, effortlessly. The genius comes in recognizing it, and encouraging its growth. Let us consider, for example, the trend towards less-invasive surgery. It grew out of the knowledge and expertise and human concerns of tens of thousands of surgeons whose practice over the years kept improving.