It does feel a bit like that fighting institutional pressure to "optimise efficiency" and "reduce individual dependence".

Your uniqueness is not tolerated, assimilate to the collective, follow the processes given to you, don't think individually.

Except when solving these problems, they require creativity, be creative. BUT ONLY HERE

I like this post. It has the right balance between uncomfortable reality and some humour!

All middle managers (in my experience) talk a big game about reducing/preventing key person dependencies, but on 100% of my teams, there were always multiple key person dependencies. The real issue: If you are not the key person for anything, you are the easiest to layoff (fire).

Thanks, the humour helps keep the melancholy at bay.

Agreed, you never want to be the one holding no secrets when the music stops.