Many of these issues arise out of organizations with large pilot groups. Typically in normal operations there is pressure apllied to other departments and when their is a leadership vacuum in the left seat, the vacuum will be filled by some department whether it's maintenance, the FA's or management getting their way.
The problem for many other departments in the typical airline is the pilot's can be inconsistent. The maintenance folks may have gotten Captain's "A", "B" and "C" to fly an aircraft with an issue, then Captain "D" comes along and correctly identifies the safety shortcomings on the flight with the MEL. Instead of Captain "D" getting recognized for superior judgement and safety awareness, he is thought of as the "problem child" or not a team player. Same goes for interactions with the FA's, they may "act up" and slide by several Captains. When the next one expects proper behavior and respect, he becomes the bad guy.