Conditions and management procedures used in Dutch universities are discussed. Attention is directed to: (1) the structure of higher education in the Netherlands -- especially the University of Utrecht, its administrative procedures, and decision-making process; (2) the nature of the problems the university faced and the ineffective way in which these problems were handled at the end of the 1970s; (3) the planning model in use since 1981 and its consequences in terms of general awareness, quality assessment, new allocation procedures, and reorganization processes; and (4) the way reorganization processes in the departments are conducted. Dutch universities have had a tradition of autonomy and an administrative structure characterized by decentralization and democratic procedures. They are now faced with increasing demands for public accountability, severe budget cuts, and strong tendencies toward centralization. Within the University of Utrecht, this means the end of a mentality that equated autonomy with isolation. Instead of allocation procedures based on principles of "quantitative justice," planning and budgeting procedures aimed at a critical evaluation and selection of activities have been developed, while decentralized and democratic decisionmaking are maintained. (Author/SW)