The idols of organizational theory - From Francis Bacon to the Dilbert Principle

The comic strip Dilbert has been commercially successful in portraying dysf unctional aspects of the workplace. However, it is not well linked to relat ed academic work, and its descriptive success is not matched by its prescri ptive usefulness. This article (a) employs Francis Bacon's "idols of the mi nd" framework (b) to organize academic research in the field of organizatio nal theory (c) for the purposes of better understanding the Dilbert princip le and outlining appropriate coping mechanisms or, if changeable, manageria l actions to address its different root causes.