As on past occasions, I'm posting because FT columnist Lucy Kellaway has again come up with insights that help answer the question in at least some instances.
Lucy's column of 18 January is entitled How insecurity and preening kill corporate common sense.
Some quotes that apply as much to C-suite writing as they do to the others made by Lucy (my bold):
Try understanding any bank’s annual report. It cannot be done. Even the senior bankers who put the figures together admit as much.
The reason common sense is squashed in this way is insecurity. Most people in business live in fear of being found out, and sounding clever seems a safer bet than being understood.
... a senior manager at Amazon ... explained the secret to his hiring success: “Your bar raiser should also run the debrief after every hiring loop.”
The next enemy of common sense is self-importance ... Last week Jamie Dimon solemnly told Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business: “JPMorgan is the best thing I can do for country and humanity” ...
... HR and PR routinely eliminate any lurking pools of rationality...
