I've often blogged about Dilbert and “dilbert lean” is a fairly common search term, so I thought I'd do my best to compile all of the Lean or Six Sigma related strips that I could find into a single post, providing links to them.
You can reach this page at www.leanblog.org/dilbert. Click on any cartoon description to see it on Dilbert.com, where you can also buy merchandise with your favorite strip.
10/16/11: Dilbert's boss does all he can to discourage ideas
1/19/07: Pointy-haired boss wants to combine Lean and Six Sigma
6/17/11: Wally misunderstands what a “kaizen” should be all about (also see this blog post).
9/30/11: Dilbert's boss doesn't want ideas
1/31/07: Lean has a “bias for action,” while Six Sigma sometimes suffers from a “bias for more analysis.”
1/26/06: I don't mean to be highlighting strips that mock Six Sigma. Many of these Six Sigma jokes could be applied just the same to Lean (or “L.A.M.E.“).
3/21/05: Maybe he meant “lean up” in a very colloquial sense, not really talking about Lean Management
10/6/01: The Lean philosophy embraces the concept of “no problems is a problem.” We have to uncover and understand the root cause of our problems… but first we have to admit we have them (see strip)
10/3/01: Again, the same joke could be made with Lean
10/4/01: Again, not just picking on Six Sigma.
10/5/01: Wow, Dogbert doesn't practice the Lean concept of “respect for people,” does he?
9/9/05: Dilbert's company really misapplies Lean 5S principles.
3/13/91: Wow, this is an old strip.
3/14/03: Poor Dilbert – Just in Time Inventory strategy
2/13/11: This illustrates how Dilbert's boss is not a Lean Thinker (blog post)
1/18/09: More waste illustrated at Dilbert's company (blog post).
12/4/2008: Dilbert's company is not big on employee ideas or “Kaizen,” apparently
11/11/2010: Dilbert's boss blames people, not the system
2/24/2004: Again, punishing people who take risks
4/18/1999 — Patty the Process Person who “doesn't know how to do anything” :-)
4/27/2004 — All the suggestions say “more money”
10/14/1992 — Dilbert's boss sets a trap
Which strip is your favorite? Which hurts the most? Were there any Lean-related strips that I missed?
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Mark Graban
Mark Graban is an internationally-recognized consultant, author, and professional speaker who has worked in healthcare, manufacturing, and startups. He is author of the Shingo Award-winning books Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen, as well as The Executive Guide to Healthcare Kaizen. His most recent book is the anthology Practicing Lean that benefits the Louise H. Batz Patient Safety Foundation, where Mark is a board member. Mark is also a Senior Advisor to the technology company KaiNexus. His latest book has been released as an "in-progress" book, titled Measures of Success.
Mark –
You went deep into the Dilbert archives. I love posting about the comparisons between lean and the Dilbert cartoons myself. Thanks for putting them all together.
Great stuff; cartoons embody a lot of truth and conveys it in a way the breaks down resistance and defensiveness. Good stuff Mark.
Thanks, I needed that! What makes these so funny is that everyone has worked at the same company as Dilbert!
This is really cool!
You beat me to this! I’ve been planning to do a post like this. :-D
I just love Dilbert!
Sorry I don’t have a link to this but there was a Dilbert that had “Patty the Process Person” who lasted just a bit longer than “Timmy the Facilitator”. I had it on my desk for a while but it has disappeared. If only I’d practice what I preach about 5S!
Patra Madden
Process Improvement Advisory Engineer
Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory
Kesselring Site, W Milton, NY
Thanks!
Here is “Patty the Process Person”:
http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/1999-04-18/
Adding it to the post…
Mark,
Thanks so much, she’s going on my office door!
Patra
This one on non-zero safety goals is a favorite of mine – could just as well be posted as a comment on the Paul O’Neill podcast:
Safety Goals
Andrew – great addition. I’ll add a link to it on the O’Neill Podcast page.
Mark, thanks for putting them all together!
Nice to read and so familiar… also in The Netherlands ;-)
Gr. Herman
Brilliant. The strip about six sigma being widely discredited was just what I was looking for.
CT
[…] See more Dilbert strips I’ve collected on themes related to Lean and Six Sigma. […]
Hi Mark – great compilation!
I have a copy somewhere of a Dilbert has been taken hostage by Accounting trols and Dogbert rescues him by casing them to ‘shift their paradigms without a clutch’… Last time I had a fixed office I had it on the wall of cartoons-with-meaning, and it always got a laugh. It may fit with this series, although it doesn’t specifically mention either lean or SS.
Keep up the good work!
Thomas
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