Management mismatch

For some reason I keep running into the same problems in my line of work. This bothers me. This is starting to bother me more and more.

Whenever I bring up problems that I see at a company, the coworkers that have been there for years grin, shake their heads and tell me that somethings never change. They too saw the problem, so I feel validated in my view of the problem. And this problem always comes down to either mismanagement or company policy that is mismatched with the wish to run a department well.

It might be surprising, but people generally want to work well and achieve at their work.

And the reason why they cannot or just give up hoping that they can is because they run into problems which prevent them from doing so. Not technical problems, those can be solved, but human problems.

The problem with these human problems is that they can only be fixed by transferring your knowledge and view of the problem to those who are causing it. But there lies the crux: Usually the person causing the problem has no need, want or even capacity in understanding the problem.
Though it would be preferable if they would.
So we stick with a second option: using external pressure that can force someone into not creating the problem. Managers is what I believe they're being called.

Situations have an inertia of their own, meaning that once a situation is established, it requires work and energy to change. The same goes for management styles, which cán solve problems but generally bring a slew of problems of their own with them. That's why good managers practice management by exception.

So how do you change the human problem of a management style that does not match the reality and need of a company, when the company "can just work" this way?

It's IT the equivalent of everyone working on a win2k machine; "because gosh darnit, they still work, so there is no need to replace them is there?"