OCLC reviews

Product design and product management is bad. Many of the software products are given resources beyond their needs, while others are slowly starved. OCLC's nonprofit status encourages this, as the bottom-line costs and benefits of any product or project are often not given enough consideration. While the technical staff has above average competence, the demands of some product managers go so far beyond what is necessary or useful that the software developers and systems administrators find themselves overworked and far outside their areas of expertise. This leads to poorly implemented software and systems, resulting in more overwork. The field of library automation was an early adopter of computers and the Internet, so there is a strong contingent of older software and data that one must navigate at OCLC. (I didn't write "legacy" software and data because there is no indication that any of it is going away soon.)

Inefficient org structures with siloed accountability. Top heavy, arrogant mostly home grown disconnected senior management team. Culture is really old school and completely library focused. Inability to execute on plans and products due to lack of skills and accountability at senior exec level. Middle manager burn out is inordinately high due to irrationality of plans and delivery schedules. If you come from a rational for-profit background you will find the culture maddening for at least the first 5 years.