[ethbr0]

I guess the thing that surprised and terrified me is that in your modern, hyper-efficient business, these people are everywhere. Because there isn't much you can't do with 1-3 people, if you leverage the right (non-RPA) software to enable them.

So consequently, the Key Player turns out to be sprinkled throughout the org.

And, the really scary part, awareness of "who that person is" generally doesn't seem to penetrate >2 management layers up.

[ChrisMarshallNY]

I worked for a 100-year-old Japanese engineering corporation.

They had a seriously robust structure and policy. It worked (check what Japan has been through, in the last 100 years).

But it brings massive overhead and rigidity. Most American companies would not want to work that way.