Above a certain level in almost any large organization (and, unsurprisingly, many small ones) company structures are are optimized for highly political corporat

Above a certain level in almost any large organization (and, unsurprisingly, many small ones) company structures are are optimized for highly political corporate sociopaths. Thus, the op question could be rephrased as "why do companies hire executives unskilled in the role they are nominally obligated to perform?" The answer is simply that the unwritten primary qualification for any given executive in such an organization is "Political Maneuvering". Everything else is secondary. You will find that the exception to this is commonly, though certainly not in all cases, finance positions. If you find a company where this isn't true and where you enjoy working, it's a keeper.