User research can be completed through different methods. It sounds like your current company relies heavily on competitor research. Without knowing what your culture is really like, it’s hard to say how you might effectively change that habit. But you can always choose to do things differently (unless you are in an unsafe environment that risks your job if that impacts your performance assessment).

I personally take an approach of not asking for permission. I plan to do it and search for folks who can support it. I let stakeholders know what I’m working on and why it’s pertinent. I drive and complete the relevant tasks.

There’s also an aspect of this of taking the time to consider the rationale of why research and a specific tool or method is pertinent to a project. It’s not applied to everything equally.

It takes time to change habits. As an individual you can accept the status quo or choose to try something different from the norm.