So, the reforms to the university system from the 90's on were supposed to 'normalize' university employment and organization, so researchers would get the kind

So, the reforms to the university system from the 90's on were supposed to 'normalize' university employment and organization, so researchers would get the kind of contracts other workers get, departments would be subjected to constraints normal organizations are subjected to, and universities would operate like normal midsize-large businesses. Unsurprisingly, since researchers are in the position of the 'workers' here, they get exploited to hell, and they hate it. Unsurprisingly, since departments are in the position of the middle managers here, they become populated with jaded ladder-climbers who have totally forgotten why they got into science to start with. Unsurprisingly, because university admins are in the position of CEOs here, they become staffed by MBA types, with all the typical 'we're in the money business' insanity, so they start pushing completely perverse and counterproductive incentives down the chain. This is not a university problem: this is a social problem. Just look at Boeing. We've created a 'normal' for organizations that drives everybody insane and produces mostly hot garbage.