Sadly those lovely, talented people were overworked and under appreciated.
The solution to the poor communication and leadership within the company was to have a diary full of meetings - including meetings about meetings. Management changed mind - a lot - so you will make little progression and will likely be let go without prior warning or valid reasoning. Don't expect constructive feedback or structure. However, you can expect a fake and superficial culture - it may seem friendly on the surface but don't be fooled. However hard you work, instead of building people up, the place will wear you down before pushing you out of the door.