"Am I missing the boat on this one? Do others face this same problem? Is
Scott Adams really bringing about constructive change, or is he simply
making a whole lot of money by mocking managers without accepting (or
recognizing) that he is also causing serious problems within many
organizations?"
I am an engineer and I find Dilbert refreshing and enlightening. I am
also a management student, and I STILL like the strip. Mr. Adams may make
managers look like buffoons, but sometimes they act like buffoons. Why
not poke them? Likewise with engineers. We do it. We deserve it. The
MIT- and Princeton-educated Ph.D. (surface science) in the cubicle next to
mine professes allergic reactions to suits. Not to wool, but to suits
themselves. I believe him.
While I would not ascribe the revelation of any profound truths to
Dilbert, there are nuggets of behavioral insight that I find valuable.
Adams brand of dark humor is illustrative with broad brush strokes that
keep me asking fundamental questions like, "Why the heck am I doing this?"
Dilbert helps me learn, not as much as the knowledgeable regular
contributors to this listsserver, but helpful nonetheless.
IMHO, if a company has such severe problems that a comic strip undermines
organizational effectiveness, then focusing on Mr. Adams' responsibility
as contributory to the company's problems is the wrong place to look. If
an organization is "healthy", why not encourage a little nose-tweaking?
Could help.
Harold J. Crossman
OSRAM SYLVANIA INC.
Lighting Research Center
71 Cherry Hill Dr.
Beverly, MA 01915
Phone: (508) 750-1717
E-mail: crossman@rd.sylvania.com
Our web sites: www.sylvania.com
www.osram.de
www.siemens.com
--"Crossman, Harold" <crossman@RD.SYLVANIA.com>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>