The demise of the NNSA labs

 The demise of the NNSA labs mirrors the demise of Bell labs.

http://usphoenix.net/science,%20technology/what_really_happened_to_lucent_t.htm

Some parts look very similar.

Raises and promotions were based on an annual merit review. There was one primary value: technical
competenc
As time went by and AT&T management became more enlightened, this strict meritocratic ranking system
was eliminated. Lab-wide rankings fell by the wayside, and Department Heads administered salaries and
promotions according to corporate guidelines. More of the salary administration became dictated by these
guidelines. What was once a Lab-wide enforced meritocracy became Department Head arbitrariness.



Originally, every Member of Technical Staff, MTS, was expected to have at least a Master's Degree. Those
that were hired in with a Bachelor's Degree were sent to graduate school at company expense to complete
their studies. There were a few lesser staff positions, but the vast bulk of Bell Labs employees were MTS.
As Bell Labs grew, and the work shifted significantly from longer-term research towards development,
particularly for software, it became difficult and expensive to fully staff to those educational requirements.
Consequently, the variety of employee categories expanded, and the graduate requirements disappeared.
Bachelor's Degree graduates were fully capable of performing the software programming duties being asked
of them.
While this enabled Bell Labs to revise their staffing costs downward and adequately staff the huge project
undertakings, it did not preserve the caliber of the previous employees. Or their motivation toward technical
competence