Actually I had to work in a place like that for years . Yhe only reason I survived was because I anded up being left to run my own show .Worked well for me .
After ten years we underwent a change of management leader, all the Team Players were booted , only about three of us remained, the new boss loved our creativity, but couldnt quite understand why none of us had ever been promoted. Then he discovered just how much control the previous mafia had of EVERYTHING.
More changes followed , but we remained.