Breakthrough IT

Chapter 4. Clear the Benches

A brief walk through the “cubicle city” that is the hallmark of most corporations may reveal a recurring theme: Dilbert. The likable and frequently victimized IT wonk suffers through management gaffes, inconclusive meetings, and the latest corporate fads. While certainly good for an occasional laugh, a multitude of Dilbert cartoons adorning every cubicle is a sign of trouble. Most people choose their office decorations based on things to which they can relate. Consummate cat lovers have pictures, screensavers, and perhaps even coffee mugs with their feline friends, while motorcyclists have a Ducatti calendar and a helmet stashed under their desk.

While there is nothing wrong with posting a favorite comic on the wall, the frequent Dilbert sightings that seem to occur all too often in an IT department should be cause for concern. If a significant majority of employees see so much of their lives reflected in the comic, and they relate so well to the bespectacled Dilbert and his cohorts that they plaster him all over their cubicles, there is more going on than just having a good laugh.

Many companies with excellent products and solid reputations have faded into irrelevance, either quietly or with headline‐making scandals, while a relative unknown with a mediocre product can become an industry dynamo based on a critical factor: the people behind the organization. While both these changes are frequently attributed to brilliant strategies, or the right decision ...