Was "Cambodia Year Zero" anything like this ?
A person is recruited on the basis that there will be:

PM/FL, (automated periodic-maintenance, fault-logging, functionality built in to the system),
training modes that would help to set to work the system,
Automated testing,
Design for testability,
Model-based testing,
and that models already exist and are validated.

Later it is recognized that human input is valuable,
so automated design, integration, test, etc is wound back somewhat, so as to involve staff more and obtain their presumably very valuable input.

Human input to ensure that automated tools can be run,
that model-based testing is all working,
that re-engineering, reverse engineering, is all working as needed,
is overlooked.

The organisation is now a different animal to what the person signed up for.

Project starts to get a feel like “Cambodia year zero”.

Little “Pol Pots” start to arise in the workplace, ensuring we can’t go back to methods that worked.

There is and always will be competition and politics in the office setting. It will never change Best not to get involved, go along and get along, work hard and keep your mouth shut even if you agree. If it disturbs you keep a journal…at home.