Code review culture breaks down fast when high standards meet indifference. I’ve seen my best engineers burn out doing reviews everyone else ignores. Silos grow. Motivation tanks.
Here’s what fixed it for us:
First, I found one engineer everyone respects—not a manager. I asked him to run a workshop on what “good” looks like. No slides, just real code and real talk.
Next, I stopped letting bad reviews slip by. If someone approved lazy code, I rejected it myself. Loud and clear. Not to shame but to reset the expectation.
Peer-led standards and management backup—no more memos, no more empty talk. That’s how you get everyone pulling in the same direction.
Culture shifts when your actions match your words.