The Dilbert Principle refers to the 1990s satirical theory that companies should promote their worst employees to management. This would prevent them from directly affecting the consumer's experience of the company. Although it originated in a comic strip, the term is well-known in management circles, where it is frequently debated. If true, it 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, and an MBA graduate from Berkeley, 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 or recommended reading at some management and business programs. [1] (http://mot.berkeley.edu/Berkeley_Students/Students/Courses/Course_Descriptions/proj_mgmt_syll.pdf) [2] (http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~hendrixs/classes/readings.html) [3] (http://www.ume.maine.edu/~pubadmin/kn/words/400syl1.htm) [4] (http://engr.smu.edu/~frailey/cse7315/syllabus.htm) [5] (http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/holt/em501/em501.htm) The book has sold more than a million copies and was on the New York Times bestseller list for 43 weeks.

Although many academics reject the principle (it is certainly at odds with traditional human resources management techniques), it strikes a chord with many employees who feel they have seen the principle in action all too frequently. It has garnered some support from business and management also. For example, Guy Kawasaki of Apple Computer said "There are two types of companies. Those that recognize that they are just like Dilbert, and those that are also like Dilbert but don't know it yet."

The Dilbert Principle is a variation of the Peter Principle. In the Peter Principle, employees rise to the level of their incompetency, whether that be in management or elsewhere (that is, they are promoted as long as they do their job well, until they have a job they don't do well). In the Dilbert Principle "the most ineffective workers are systematically moved to the place where they can do the least damage: management".

Some have also suggested that simply firing incompetent employees would work best.

See also

• Management
• Peter principle

References

• The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams, HarperBusiness 1996 ISBN 0-88730-858-9
• 2002 interview with Scott Adams (http://www.aacsb.edu/publications/bized/p16-21.pdf), Funny Business, BizEd, The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, November/December
• Wall Street Journal, May 30, 1996, p. A11

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