Management is poorly trained and stretched thin. Most Senior Managers, all the way up to Senior Directors, are doing scrappy work instead of developing the internal processes needed to streamline teams and workflow.
Upper management (C-level and above) are WAY too involved in the peanuts and not the pie. They don't trust their directors to lead teams and end up meddling in decisions that they should trust their directors to handle.
Too many oddball requests come down the pipeline from c-levels that completely stalls days or even weeks of work - and directors just take it.
Efforts to set goals and hold people accountable are nonexistent
High turnover in a niche area of expertise.
Cultural values are nonexistent because upper management doesn't prioritize employees.
Morale is very low.