[michaelochurch]

The first question: what power do you have to affect change? Are you senior management? Or "protege" of someone high up in the company? If not, your odds of bringing in sweeping cultural change are low. Very low.

Second question: how much reach do you need? Do you want to work in: (a) an environment where no one wears a suit, (b) an environment where no one has to wear a suit, (c) an environment where tech people don't have to wear suits, (d) an environment where suits aren't required but everyone seeking promotion still wears one? The more people who will have to change to suit your vision, the lower your chances of success.

Third: the problems with your work aren't abstract cultural issues. They're concrete. So focus on those, because some are very easy to fix and some are get-another-job-now intractible. What's the real problem? If you enjoy the work but hate the "sterile, dreary" office decorum, suck it up because that's a small issue. If the problem is bad management and you're a grunt, best to leave on your own terms because raising the issue could have you leaving not on your own terms. If the problem is bureaucracy, ask your manager if it's possible to hire another person to manage the bureaucracy so technology people can be more productive. Abstract cultural problems are vague and hard to specify, much less solve. Concrete problems have solutions (but the solution may be that you need to get another job.)