The Dilbert Principle

If you want to read a funny, eye-rolling book about business and the silliness people get up to when they’re supposed to be working, read Stanley Bing’s “What Would Machiavelli do.” Or else read the reader-submitted emails in Scott Adams’ “The Dilbert Principle.”

But Bing’s book is funnier longer.

I’m sure some associate of Adams’ either re-read or remembered Laurence J. Peter’s “The Peter Principle” and suggested Adams write a similar book, based on his Dilbert comic strips. Such an endeavor could have been great. But it feels like Adams slapped this book together rather quickly and decided snark was a substitute for the sly wit and thought Peter put into his book.

That’s not so say this book isn’t funny. I’m almost always amused by Dilbert (and a little disconcerted that the character I find the most common ground with is Wally). But this book feels phoned in.

And the Dilbert Principle itself is basically a retread of one of Peter’s ideas.

Adams argues that companies move their least competent employees to middle management in order to limit that amount of damage they can do to the company.

Peter describes that as a “percussive sublimation,” a pseudo-promotion moving an individual from one unproductive position to another.

Oh well.