1) Teams have little to no interaction with the others and no accountability for whatever they have done. The firm works in waterfall, and often front ends have to implement something that was done on the back-end a couple of years ago. The back-end teams would not support the front-ends during that time, and if there are issues (like the back-end solution not meeting the actual business requirements or them not delivering something that is acceptable), there is no accountability at any level. Each senior manager/associate director tries to cover himself in such situation, rather than solve the problem.
2) It is all about politics. It is an amazingly non-data-driven company. Many decisions are taken based on opinions that one forms by talking to other people who do not have supporting numbers, but have strong opinions.
3) Extreme hierarchy. There are multiple layers and there is a clear separation between the different levels: senior managers are looking up to associate directors while the latter look up to the directors, etc. Promotion is usually based on being present in the office of the higher manager, not on your actual deliveries and quality of work.
4) It is very easy to get away with mediocre quality of work. It is not culturally acceptable to challenge anyone's deliverables which leads to situations when a team from whom you expect certain deliveries fails to do so and you are not supposed to hold them accountable, you are supposed to go to the market and explain that for such and such reasons we are not able to deliver.
5) Salaries are mediocre. Amadeus still believes that they are a dream company and that Cote d'Azur is a dream place to live. They pay you in sun and sea. They claim that they pay a top salary - for the region. Which is true, if you are in the local labor market with the majority of people making a minimum salary. However, if you are in the global IT job market, the salary is just not right. Salaries are only good if you are a young graduate. After you have joined, you can expect that your salary goes up 2-3% per year maximum. You may get a higher level after a few years which will bring you a 5-7% increase. There are managers who make considerably less than a fresh graduate of a top school makes in Paris. And if you do compare the cost of living: don't forget, even if rents are somewhat cheaper than in Paris, you need to add the cost of having a car, because without one life is not great in that region.
6) Senior management is in denial of any of the above. One that who closes the eyes towards the real problems that the company faces gets the best treatment inside.
