There should be a term for it, so that people like me can describe it in less than a billion words.

Wikipedia says:

    People with hero syndrome generally cause an 
    accident or disaster with the intention of 
    then coming in to render aid, and become the 
    'hero'. The reasons for this often vary. 
    The perpetrator may be trying to validate 
    their own self-worth, or be seen as brave 
    by others. 

From that description, it sounds like the would-be "hero" in hero syndrome deliberately creates these disasters.

I think things are a little less clear-cut in the sort of (common, IMO) engineering scenario I was talking about.

I feel it's often more of a systemic situation, where the company/team does not properly value the knowledge transfer, empowerment, and management skill necessary to avoid those situations.

In the specific situation I described I don't think our architect intentionally created messes, and I think probably believed at each step of the way that his actions were best for the company.