> I would argue that cultural change has to also start from the top.

This is where the "breathing room" comes in. I think that fostering an environment where people are free to organize themselves without edicts and policy produces overall better processes (and ultimately better quality).

I think it's OK for management to lay a framework, provide a particular kind of training, but it's best to provide goals that forward the company, step back and let the people closest to the work decide the best way to achieve them.