[GartzenDeHaes]

In my experience, you cannot change an organization's culture with rules, mission statements, listing values, or giving speeches. They only way is to take down the old culture bearers. Some of them may be managers, but more often they are employees who have gained some organizational power. You'll often find them at the center of sticky organizational spider webs with approval processes such as purchasing and service administrators.

To change the culture, these people have to go. Firing them may not be feasible, but there are other options. Dethroning them in the form of a promotion or even just physically moving them can be effective. When people don't have to jump through their hoops anymore, they lose their organizational power.

[Ensorceled]

> They only way is to take down the old culture bearers. ... To change the culture, these people have to go.

I was briefly head of engineering at a company that had several "old culture bearers" that made change impossible. I was something like the 3rd or 4th engineering leader over the space of a year. Apparently the person after me was actually allowed to fire a few of these people and was able to turn things around.

[PaulHoule]

More than once I had to leave in order for an employer to take action against a problem employee, including my boss once. In these cases the employer suddenly realized that it made no sense to attempt to replace me without removing the reason that drove me out.

[Ensorceled]

That is, unfortunately, very common. Though sometimes the toxic people drive the company into the ground first.