I've never cared about this, actually. For me, the camaderie of the team is most important, and next comes the money. Acknowledgement from people who barely know what I do: I couldn't care less.

> But what's legitimately soul-killing to an individual

Yes.

> deadly to an organization is the collective impulse to avoid giving those people credit when it's due.

No, in fact most office jobs operate this way in the world.