Many folks would likely say they've had similar experience with software/system architects. IMHO their primary role is to act as tradewinds to gently nudge the organization into a cohesive direction within their domain of expertise. So while an engineering team may not (and probably should not) accept the details of a recommendation by an architect, the likelihood is that 50 teams operating n collaboration with small team of architects are likely to encounter less friction with interoperability and tooling than 50 teams operating independently.