Pointy Haired Boss - Revision history

142.177.94.106 at 17:42, 4 September 2005

2005-09-04T17:42:22Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:42, 4 September 2005
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	The '''Pointy Haired Boss''' (or '''PHB''') is an [[archetype]] character invented by Scott Adams in his Dilbert comic. He is famous enough to [[w:Pointy Haired Boss\|warrant his own article in Wikipedia, ~~detailing~~ his characteristics ~~as]]~~:		The '''Pointy Haired Boss''' (or '''PHB''') is an [[archetype]] character invented by Scott Adams in his Dilbert comic. He is famous enough to [[w:Pointy Haired Boss\|warrant his own article in Wikipedia]], according to which his characteristics include:

	* Pretends to understand technology, but is really clueless. He often shifts towards buzzwords (e.g. [[virtual community]]) to compensate or change subject.		* "Pretends to understand technology, but is really clueless. He often shifts towards buzzwords (e.g. [[virtual community]]) to compensate or change subject.
	* Easily mesmerized by silver-tongued sales people peddling management or technology fads, e.g. [[Bluetooth]], [[RFID]], [[sysop vandalism]]		* Easily mesmerized by silver-tongued sales people peddling management or technology fads, e.g. [[Bluetooth]], [[RFID]], [[sysop vandalism]]
	* Decisions seem random or capricious.		* Decisions seem random or capricious.
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	* Doesn't seem to remember anything beyond a month's range.		* Doesn't seem to remember anything beyond a month's range.
	* More focused on sounding important than being important.		* More focused on sounding important than being important.
	* Has pointy hair.		* Has pointy hair."

	He is an icon of [[stupidity]] and of [[management]], which in Adams' work are always presented as the same thing. That is, there are no good managers, and the best one can do with these people is avoid them.		He is an icon of [[stupidity]] and of [[management]], which in Adams' work are always presented as the same thing. That is, there are no good managers, and the best one can do with these people is avoid them.

142.177.94.106 at 17:41, 4 September 2005

2005-09-04T17:41:04Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:41, 4 September 2005
Line 1:		Line 1:
	The '''Pointy Haired Boss''' (or '''PHB''') is an [[archetype]] character invented by Scott Adams in his Dilbert comic. He is famous enough to [[w:Pointy Haired Boss\|warrant his own article in Wikipedia, detailing his characteristics as]:		The '''Pointy Haired Boss''' (or '''PHB''') is an [[archetype]] character invented by Scott Adams in his Dilbert comic. He is famous enough to [[w:Pointy Haired Boss\|warrant his own article in Wikipedia, detailing his characteristics as]]:

	*		* Pretends to understand technology, but is really clueless. He often shifts towards buzzwords (e.g. [[virtual community]]) to compensate or change subject.
	*		* Easily mesmerized by silver-tongued sales people peddling management or technology fads, e.g. [[Bluetooth]], [[RFID]], [[sysop vandalism]]
	*		* Decisions seem random or capricious.
			* Gross failures of logic, such as holding repeated long meetings to discuss why a project is behind schedule.
			* Uses his employees' ideas and presents them as his own, almost always to the same employees
			*bossy, bullying, spiteful and a thief
			*Is always right. Or at least, thinks he/she is.
			*You warn him/her to do X or else Y will happen. He doesn't do X. Y happens. You somehow get the blame.
			* Doesn't seem to remember anything beyond a month's range.
			* More focused on sounding important than being important.
			* Has pointy hair.

	He is an icon of [[stupidity]] and of [[management]], which in Adams' work are always presented as the same thing. That is, there are no good managers, and the best one can do with these people is avoid them.		He is an icon of [[stupidity]] and of [[management]], which in Adams' work are always presented as the same thing. That is, there are no good managers, and the best one can do with these people is avoid them.

	Such people use [[PowerPoint]], and are sometimes called '''powerpointy''' or to possess the '''power of pointy'''. These phrases emphasize that only a PHB would use Microsoft products to try to persuade people that bad ideas are good. Indeed that is why presentation products exist, and why they have been banned from all serious companies.		Such people invariably use or believe '''Microsoft PowerPoint''', and are sometimes called '''powerpointy''' or to possess the '''power of pointy'''. These phrases emphasize that only a PHB would use Microsoft products to try to persuade people that bad ideas are good. Indeed that is why presentation products exist, and why they have been banned from all serious companies.

	It has become popular among [[trolls]] to attach ", PHB" to someone's name as if it were an academic [[credential]] like ", PhD", when describing their stupidity.		It has become popular among [[trolls]] to attach ", PHB" to someone's name as if it were an academic [[credential]] like ", PhD", when describing their stupidity. In academia there is the variant, the Pointy-Haired Dean (PHD), so trolls can more subtly simply raise the H to uppercase to make a '''point'''.

142.177.94.106 at 17:36, 4 September 2005

2005-09-04T17:36:40Z

New page

The '''Pointy Haired Boss''' (or '''PHB''') is an [[archetype]] character invented by Scott Adams in his Dilbert comic. He is famous enough to [[w:Pointy Haired Boss|warrant his own article in Wikipedia, detailing his characteristics as]:

*
*
*

He is an icon of [[stupidity]] and of [[management]], which in Adams' work are always presented as the same thing. That is, there are no good managers, and the best one can do with these people is avoid them.

Such people use [[PowerPoint]], and are sometimes called '''powerpointy''' or to possess the '''power of pointy'''. These phrases emphasize that only a PHB would use Microsoft products to try to persuade people that bad ideas are good. Indeed that is why presentation products exist, and why they have been banned from all serious companies.

It has become popular among [[trolls]] to attach ", PHB" to someone's name as if it were an academic [[credential]] like ", PhD", when describing their stupidity.