I appreciate you replying. My intent was never to place blame; instead, it was to point out that while the article's author suggests technical folks need to play the game better, I feel that it won't matter and getting the rest of a non-technical-first org along for the ride is more difficult than just being a solid political player.

The article's point is that "the rest of a non-technical-first org along for the ride" is indeed playing politics (or at least a subset thereof).