Op - loved the write up. Thanks. I would summarize slightly differently. At offices the first thing sorted out is inclusion. Who's invited to meetings or lunch and who's not. And who does the inviting. Next is control. Who's told what to do and who had to do it i.e. some of what's discussed here. The last thing that's done --- and in fact almost never is really ever fixed at an organization is openness. There's a lot of games, bs, withholding, playing at deception sales and marketing BS and the like. As the Op rightly says ... Its not consequence free because there's a reckoning eventually. From smarter people than I .. I learned the pca (primary component analysis) of most behavior is inclusion, control, openness. I've found it quite useful. The main reason openness is tough is self defense. Because of office politics and numerous other factors being honest early and often is seen as too risky. Its a greedy form of self protection.