Cleaning up house
What is the liklihood of implementing change if you have no knowledge of the environment or culture? Do you think that you can come in blind and make changes without stirring up the pot?
I think it's possible believe it or not. It is ---IF--- you are proactive and take an active role in figuring out what is what, how it affects the whole, and whether or not there is buy in. PLUS, you have to be a dynamic leader---I'll even take charismatic (not bullshit but true charisma) leader.
If you don't have this, then what do you have? You'll have change without understanding the "why" of it. Why change for the sake of change? Let them understand the importance of the change.
You can fool some of the people some of the time...but you can't fool the experts in the field....