That's an interesting theory, actually. Maybe part of the reason that our current economic system has been so successful is that it manages, mostly by chance,

That's an interesting theory, actually. Maybe part of the reason that our current economic system has been so successful is that it manages, mostly by chance, to avoid this kind of compensation. People are largely compensated in money. Of course, "toxic" office politics does exist. But it tends (at least where I'm from) to be something people associate with working for the public service, rather than in the commercial world.