Elsevier is a place where certain people, mainly the most senior staff, can get very comfortable. This leads to a degree of stagnation that seeps down the hierarchy.
An example is that they have recently undergone a (genuine and good) agile transformation - however the most senior staff are ALWAYS behind in generating their goals - to the extent that in no year when I worked there were my senior managers' goals presented to me in advance of me being required to align and submit mine.
This lethargy from the senior team has a real negative effect on the degree of energy and enthusiasm.
Certain roles are filled by place-men who will likely be with the company until they retire. These people have built empires that are resistant to change. They are pretty easy to spot, since they display characteristics at odds with the rest of the company (who are genuinely great colleagues).
Advancement at the company is not great - promotions are stymied by senior staff, and pay decisions are made solely on the basis of the balance sheet.
