> 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.
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.
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.