The Dilbert Principle

The Dilbert Principle refers to the 1990s theory that companies should promote their worst employees to management. This would prevent them from directly affecting the consumer's experience of the company. This is more than a satirical theory. There is some evidence that this was and is practiced by some firms. If true, the practice would result in a noticeable trend of more and more "idiots in management".
The term was coined and explained by Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert comic strip, in a 1994 Wall Street Journal article. Adams expanded his study of the Dilbert Principle in a satirical 1996 book of the same name, which is now required reading at some management and business programs.

The Dilbert Principle is a variation of the Peter Principle. In the Peter Principle employees raise to the level of their incompetency, whether that be in management or elsewhere. In the Dilbert Principle "the most ineffective workers are systematically moved to the place where they can do the least damage: management".
 
Lately, however, the Peter Principle has given way to the Dilbert Principle. The basic concept of the Dilbert Principle is that the most ineffective workers are systematically moved to the place where they can do the least damage: management. We systematically identify and promote the people who have the least skills. The usual business rationalization for promoting idiots (the Dilbert Principle in a nutshell) is something along the lines of "Well, he can't write code, he can't design a network, and he doesn't have any sales skill. But he has very good hair..." This type of approach can be damaging to the work of any company.
 
Scott Adams used to work for Pac Bell before decided that rather than sit in an office cubicle, it?d be far better to quit that job and make a living writing cartoons about office life. His Dilbert cartoons are popular in newspapers - featuring a poor geek-y engineer (Dilbert), his (generally incompetent) co-workers, his (even more moronic) boss and a variety of animals (Dogbert, Ratbert, etc). Perhaps it says something of their popularity that my spellchecker recognises ?
 
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