I have worked with many levels of leadership and it is true that some seem to be "owned" by certain groups. It is disappointing to see such segregation. All you have to do is look at the org charts to see that the people in charge tend to hire people like them. And some are horrible managers, but they end up in leadership positions because they are in the local clique whether it is the good ole' boy, asian or something else. But if you look at the top layer it is all white men, so the same people still run the show. I hate to say it, but the biggest productivity suck usually comes from leadership. many are just unable to make a decision. They toss the hot potato around and around while workers try to figure out which direction to go in. As for nepotism, that has been going on at all levels for many years. It can get pretty tangled and uncomfortable at times but it is all over the company. People are savvy about keeping different last names so you need to watch yourself. After years of re-orgs, I've never seen any improvement in productivity overall. I just see things that used to take one or two days now take weeks. I see zero trust in some groups, which is devastating to productivity. There is a general lack of leadership. Few leaders are willing to accept the responsibility that comes with their roles. Instead, they focus on outsourcing more and more of the work to low-cost geographies. They should have to spend time in the trenches, trying to get something done when people barely speak the same language, making even the most basic task exceedingly difficult. Some outsourcing works well, but it should be limited. They think they save a few bucks, but the metrics for outsourcing are not even close to accurate. It is all about the optics. Not all the leadership's fault, as the middle managers and others keep things from them to save their own skin. I wasn't affected by the ROM, but I am starting to feel like to be a hamster on a wheel, so I have accepted a position elsewhere. I feel nothing but relief. I'm old enough to know the grass isn't greener, but at least I'll be able to get off the slow train and do something interesting and challenging.