A culture develops to create a power structure that favors those who have devoted a large portion of their personal identity to the success of the organization. This culture serves as a moat against anyone who would integrate themselves within the organization and attempt drastic changes that would disrupt the existing power balance or pose an existential threat to the organization.
As time passes, more layers get added in response to various perceived attempts to subvert the organization until a critical mass is reached in which the organization suffers from a brain drain (via retirement, loss of interest, etc.) with the barriers too high and rewards too meager for new(er) qualified individuals to consider filling the void. The organization then continues forward in a zombie-like state until it either fails or becomes irrelevant.