Well, not entirely true. Many consoles use a system whereby one console is the "master" and has HA control, while others "compensate" via digital attenuation/gain.
The Yamaha system has no "Master" console, in that all consoles (well, 4 of them anyway) can change the gain but all receivers (consoles/RIOs/DVS, etc.) will be sent a compensated signal. Changing the HA gain only changes the S/N ratio, not the level for any attached device, when GC is enabled.
This really explains the Yamaha way well. I steered clear of digital snakes (compromised because of gain changes)) and used an analogue split (still useful if different digital protocols are being used) but when I got some QL desks life was made a whole lot simpler,there really is nothing bad to say it simply works. FOH and Monitors can work independently with no issues when GC is on.
Having a method is key, as FOH I take the lead in setting up the gain structure per channel and then switch the desk to GC then Monitors can start dialling in to suit their requirements, any adjustments they then make to the HA (eg for Iems) do not affect FOH settings etc.