[losteric]

It can exist in a company, but I think the likelyhood of encountering such an environment is inversely proportional to the size and growth rate of the company... rapid growth in a large corporation leads to metric-driven management as established leaders try to retain control over broader business areas, disconnects between budgets and requirements arise due to increased organizational depth, and there's a loss of individual "freedom" in execution as managerial roles multiply to offset lower hiring standards of ICs. All of which have tertiary consequences, collectively strangling the freedom required for pride in work.

To use your analogy, it's like running if you were following a cart that laid out every foot step and were followed by another cart with a whip. There's no incentive or freedom to engage.