That mess wasn't common in any environment I worked at during the same time period. Pretty sure that would have got someone sacked in the various datacenters I happen to have worked in.
More likely they either ran out of funding or never got the growth they expected. Back then there was often a large disconnect between H/w bought and H/w needed/used. But money was there and hypergrowth was "just around the corner."
Patchpanel backs are cabled only once by electricians. All is connected to another patchpanel that's near the catalyst and it is the place the mess starts growing.
Memories :-)