Introduction
Before starting the work life in the New Year from Monday onwards, what better way to prepare than to read a nice Dilbert book. So I picked up “What do you call a Sociopath in a cubicle?” and prepared myself for the year ahead.
The Book
This is another book from Scott Adams that is the loose collection of Dilbert strips. The theme of the book is to look into the life of the cubicle dweller and how he/she derives pleasure from heaping trouble for neighboring cubicle dwellers. Also, the usual sadists the Pointy Haired Boss, the H.R. head Catbert and the Management Consultant Dogbert make cameo appearances to make the life of the cubicle dwellers more interesting.
Some of the interesting topics being dealt in these strips include:
a) Getting an appointment to meet the boss from the boss’ secretary.
b) Layoffs Management
c) Performance Appraisals
d) Motivational Management
e) Stealing Office Supplies
f) Types of Boss
g) Types of Co-Workers (Defective)
Critic’s Viewpoint
What would the world be without Scott Adams for people like us who get smashed under the corporate wheels without even a chance to squeal? Scott Adams incredible sense of humor really takes on these real topics dodging the corporate world and looks at the ethics of these issues from different sides in a very sadistically humorous way.
This being a major 220 page collection of strips, the strips range from real old ones which I believe were in the nineties and dealt with the growing power of engineers and it also has a collection of strips from the decade of 2001-2010 when management has steadily crushed the power of engineers and gained the upper hand again!! So this book provides a nice contrast and provides a nice look back at the see-sawing battle over the last two decades.
All my favorite Dilbert characters namely Pointy Haired Boss, Catbert, Dogbert, Alice, Wally, Asok have decent number of strips to really keep us going. Also, heartening to see lesser strips relating to Ratbert and Bob the Dinosaur, which usually tend to get a bit irritating. Also, as this book deals only with Office Humor which is the forte of Scott Adams the humor is well directed and you can’t but help laughing out at most of these strips. If any thing some of the strips were a bit lame and could have been dropped and maybe restricted the book to around 175 odd pages.
Summary
As always I would definitely recommend this stress buster to all the organizational slaves and would like them to look themselves in the mirror in this book.
I would give this book a high 4 star rating.
(Taken from my review published earlier at http://www0.epinions.com/review/What_Do_You_ Call_a_Sociopath_in_a_Cubicle__Answer_A_Cow orker_A_Dilbert_Book_by_Scott_Adams/content_497813393028)