Dilbert principle
- noun
- Literature
:
principio Dilbert
- The Dilbert principle explains why so many ineffective managers exist.
Examples
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After the restructuring, the Dilbert principle seemed to perfectly describe the new leadership.
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Some critics argue that the Dilbert principle explains the abundance of ineffective managers.
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Many employees joked that the Dilbert principle was alive and well in their company.
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Have you heard about the Dilbert principle?
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Many employees believe that the Dilbert principle applies to their promotions at work.
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According to some workers, the Dilbert principle explains the poor decision-making in management.
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The Dilbert principle humorously highlights how companies often promote their least skilled employees.
Surface Forms
Morphology
Dilbert + principle
This is an eponymous, culture-specific term: 'Dilbert' is a proper name for a satirical comic character and does not semantically contribute predictable content that yields the specialized idea about promoting incompetent employees; 'principle' only signals a rule. A B1 learner who knows the literal words but not the cultural reference cannot derive the ironic, organizational meaning, so the expression is opaque.
Etymology
Dilbert principle comes from the comic strip about office life and the character Dilbert. The cartoonist joked that companies 'promote' their least able workers into manager jobs so they stop causing trouble in their original jobs, so the phrase now means the idea that companies move their 'incompetent' employees into management.
