First, I would like to worn all of you doing research to NEVER EVER read Dilbert before going over research material. It can really twist your interpretation on the material you are reading. Case in point I was researching a subject and came across some training material that some company had produces several years ago. The material talked about the developmental levels that people go through as they gain experience at their jobs. It showed that motivation tends to drop to its lowest point after a person learns enough to be able to effectively to their job. After that point motivation tends to increase as people continue to develop and contribute to their company.
Now here is where the Dilbert part comes in. The material I have is likely incomplete because it then jumps into praising and reprimanding people. If you have just read Dilbert you can read this, as people should be reprimanded if they have the necessary skill but temporarily lack motivation. Now we all know that there is many reasons people lack motivation. Many of them are factors that are really outside the control of the employee, such as being challenged in their current assignment. But because I was reading Dilbert I could not be the line “The beatings will continue until moral improves” out of my mind.
The other Dilbert factor was the material telling when someone should be praised or reprimanded was missing. My Dilbert warped mind led me to think that these poor people using this training material were being given enough information to be dangerous. That they were to become like the manager Dilbert has. Well anyone familiar with “DEMING’S RED BEAD EXPERIMENT” knows that there are factors that affect the performance that an employee may have no control over. (For those of you who do not know this experiment Google it, and shame on you for not knowing) They may be above average one period and be below average the next and still be within the acceptable constraints that the processes they are forced to use allowed. Being above or below average due to variable beyond their control does not warrant praise or reprimand. Management in the 50’s understood this. Again, I blame Dilbert for twisting my view of the material I was reading.
So heed my warning, NEVER EVER read Dilbert before trying to do meaningful research.
