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I think the norm is for sports owners to be unqualified and meddlesome. By definition they were successful at SOMETHING to get the $$$ to buy a sports team. But that something is most likely real estate, or technology, or finance, (or video games), or who knows what...that has nothing to do with the sport they get into. Yet, they also did not get where they did without a vast amount of self-confidence and resourcefulness. So they think they are smart enough to figure out how to run a sports team too.
I would guess that the toxic combination was Linc PLUS Strong. Howie is probably par for the course as far as a (de facto) owner goes. Really he just needs to cut checks; he can make wacky suggestions about bullpen sessions all day and a good President/GM/Manager team would tell him, interesting idea Howard but it won't work because of x, y, z...and put it to bed. The problem has been that Linc+Strong means the the balance of power is distorted toward the incompetent non-baseball people. NO WAY any rookie GM in Z's position could stand up to TWO guys above him who go way back and speak in unison...sorry that is just not organizational reality. I am very hopeful that Armstrong's departure will be a big positive for the org. I do not think Lincoln enjoys losing, and I think he'll try to find someone qualified for the Prez role.
Z is clearly no Billy Beane, but there's no final verdict yet that he can't be good enough to make us into a winner, with all the resources this team has. I was personally thinking he'd surely be a goner after this debacle of a season, but he has survived, and now has the chance to put it all together. We will have a definitive answer soon about his qualifications for his job.