'It’s satisfying watching the management scramble': IT department brought to a standstill when upper management decides they need to approve everything

There's this thing that happens every now and again in organizations where someone, usually high up on the food chain, decides that everything—every decision, order, expense, or report—needs to pass across their desk. They do so severely underestimating the gravitas of what they've just requested, with little comprehension of just how many things they're going to be handling, dependent on their pen stroke to proceed. Of course, maybe not right away, but at some point, things are going to begin piling up. And when everything is waiting on your approval, nothing is getting done, and the peeved-off workers who have been deprived of all agency in their roles aren't going to make things any easier for you by complying with your demand to the letter.

You've probably read about or experienced this situation before, and if you've been hanging around here or r/MaliciousCompliance for long, then you've certainly seen this exact scenario play out in a similar story. This story is no different, with upper management deciding they need to keep a tighter leash on something that they don't understand in the name of chasing even higher profits—bringing the whole thing to a standstill.