I was a “gifted” kid, always 98/99th percentile on every standardized test I took, but when it comes to things like synthesis of knowledge and generating new ideas
Same. Read me a text then give me a multiple-choice test and I'll get every question right.
Read me a text then ask me what I learned, what it could be a metaphor for, what other texts express similar ideas? Uhhhhhhh
I have experienced this but I think that's the fault of the people implementing it.
For instance, I have been in a 4-person team where the daily meeting took 30 minutes and people often rehashed discussions they had on the previous day. I have also been on a 10-person team where the meeting took 10 minutes on a bad day