The Dilbert Principle & The Dilbert Future

Dilbert: Business #1 & 3

by Scott Adams

EL PRINCIPIO DE

LOS TRABAJADORES MÁS INEFICIENTES SON TRASLADADOS SISTEMÁTICAMENTE ALLÍ DONDE PUEDEN CAUSAR MENOS DAÑO, LA DIRECCIÓN DE LA EMPRESA.

Un auténtico clásico de la literatura de humor de temática empresarial. En 26 provocadores capítulos ilustrados, Scott Adams descubre los secretos de la dirección de empresa. Por

- Abrise paso hacia el éxito a codazos
- Simular calidad
- Plan de el mayor cuento del mundo
- Los departamentos de contabilidad y sus duendes
- La humillació Esa herramienta de dirección
- Vender malos productos a gente estúpida

y un largo etc...

Genres: Humor, Comedy, Comics, Business

First published June 2, 2011

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Scott Adams was a defining voice of the American white-collar experience who transitioned from a prominent cartoonist into a polarizing political commentator. After earning an MBA from UC Berkeley and spending years in management at Pacific Bell, Adams launched the comic strip Dilbert in 1989. The strip’s sharp satire of corporate bureaucracy and the "Dilbert Principle"—the idea that incompetent employees are promoted to management to minimize their damage—resonated globally, eventually appearing in 2,000 newspapers and winning the prestigious Reuben Award. Beyond the funny pages, Adams explored philosophy and persuasion in works like God's Debris and Win Bigly, the latter of which analyzed Donald Trump’s rhetorical strategies during the 2016 election. His career took a dramatic turn during the mid-2010s as he shifted focus to his daily "Real Coffee" livestream, where he combined his background in hypnosis and corporate strategy to comment on the "culture wars." This period of independent commentary culminated in 2023 when he reacted to a poll regarding racial tensions with a series of inflammatory remarks. Labeling Black Americans a "hate group" and advocating for racial segregation, Adams faced immediate and widespread repercussions; hundreds of newspapers dropped his strip, and his publisher canceled his upcoming projects. Undeterred, he moved his work to the subscription-based platform Locals, rebranding his comic as Dilbert Reborn. In his final years, he faced severe health challenges, including stage IV prostate cancer and vocal cord issues, yet he remained a prolific presence on social media. He eventually announced the end of his hand-drawn work due to focal dystonia but continued to direct the strip's vision. Adams’s legacy remains a complex study in the power of branding, the evolution of digital influence, and the volatile intersection of creative genius and political provocation in the modern era.

Reviews

[Maurice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scott Adams's prediction is surprisingly almost accurate, having it read 12 years after it was published. It presents a wide array of views of the future and how it could have been different one way or another. But what interested me most was how Adams was able to present a different perspective about time and our perception of movement by introducing a concept of a multi-layered universe, and how motion and movement is explained as nonexistent as one goes through layers of universes.

[Jonathan Widener · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of these predictions were quite eerie, reading this book when I did. Some portions of this book will make you laugh, some will leave you scratching your head.

[Denis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Вредные советы для взрослых

[MisterFweem · Rating 2 out of 5]

As much a fan I am of Scott Adams' Dilbert Comic strip, I've got to say that I don't think much of The Dilbert Future. But then again, I don't think much of futurists to begin with, because, in general, they get too specific and, because, in general, they pretty much get everything wrong. I will concede that the "Induhvidualism" that Adams forsees will likely come to pass, but not because Adams has any foresight -- but because such Induhvidualism is inevitable when you're dealing with humans in any plane of history, not just the future.

What I find irritating about Adams are the contradictions he plants throughout this book, perhaps unconsciously, that denigrate some of the prophecies he tries to put forth. He pokes fun at anyone who believes in things that do not fit the Adams way, but then goes on to suggest a kind of Emile Coue optimistic autosuggestion that sounds just as logically false as some of the other systems of belief that Adams obviously regards as foolish.

And, by golly, he does go on about ISDN far too long than need be. "I Still Don't Know" technology never took off like he thought it would. And I find it odd that he figured it would, given that he demonstrates inside the box thinking throughout his discussion on it. Yes, he worked for a Baby Bell, and knew all about ISDN -- but the role of a futurist is supposed to be delving into the future, not flapping on endlessly about the present.

[Andy Rodriguez · Rating 2 out of 5]

I saw so many good reviews I had to read this book but, to be honest, I was disappointed. I don't know why I was expecting more real advice about management from a comic but I was. The dialogue was sarcastic and cynical at times to negative at other times. I did giggle throughout but if you want some valuable information you need only read the last chapter.

[Blessy J · Rating 4 out of 5]

All cubicle dwellers who are claustrophobic and are not passionate about staring at the monitor for long hours, but put up with their crappy jobs to pay the bills and other such commitments, who have always seen the irony of the corporate efficiency and worked closely enough with higher management to know that its a farce, would probably be able to relate and laugh out loud at some of the strips. Its very entertaining for in-between reads. Basically the book teaches you nothing, it just makes fun of everything corporate and encourage you to laugh along, as after all, you should learn to laugh at yourself in order to be happy :)

[Jay Little · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good representation of Scott Adams' humor, and a reflection of the underlying "zeitgeist" of the Dilbert comic strip. Reading it again today, it's interesting to see how much of the tongue-in-cheek commentary about the American work place still applies today. In a way, it's kind of like the Daily Show or Colbert Report -- humorous and ridiculous... but still informative, and sometimes the sarcasm or delivery simply punctuates the point.

[L · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious and true. Full of laugh out loud observations about the often frustrating, sometime outrageous and definitely puzzling world of corporate work. Despite it being published 2 decades ago, the comics still holds its weight. True, the chapters could be a bit more even and the random metaphors could be dialled back a little, it's nevertheless an insightful read that probably should be given out to every university student in business. Just to, you know, have expectations met.

[Scott Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book I got for free. Much like other Dilbert books, the humor is okay, but best conveyed in the comic strips. Some interesting points for techonology and how the "nerds" can rise to inherit the earth. Not a complex read, and well-complimented with the cartoons. However, the comic strip is, and will always be, the best medium produced by Scott Adams.

[Ede]

a good book for a BA student