Opaque and consistently confusing creative expectations. The potential of the creative team as a whole was thwarted by directive management.
One coworker early in my time there described the structure as "inner circle and outer circle," which was apt, as the management team was professionally exclusive. Deeply ingrained favoritism often disregarded fresh and enticing solutions. One AD was concerningly inept with industry-standard design software and frequently requested help executing basic technical functions.
Lastly, design department turnover was remarkable. Specifically non-directorial staff. With the exception of management and a couple of designers who had resigned themselves to production roles, I saw the entire art department turn over multiple times.