It takes a long time to come to understand.
It's natural to give everyone benefit of the doubt. Most are intelligent, seem friendly, seem capable. You think, this is not some self-inflicted catastrophe, they just need a little nudge from the rut.
Then little by little you recognize their intrenched political interests; the inflated egos of the several major poobahs; the fact that for many reasons they want the new direction to fail and are actively undermining. Then you have to start making decisions.