I don't think it's that people in charge of big companies are not creative thinkers. I think their priorities are things other than employee satisfaction, or possibly even employee productivity. Both of those things are great, but maximizing shareholder value comes first. Big companies are applying creative thinking to marketing, sales relationships, mergers and acquisitions, strategic lobbying/lawsuits, cost cutting, etc. In my younger days, I made the mistake of getting overly invested in the companies I worked for. Always put your long term goals first. If you don't have equity, it's not your company!