The pointy-haired boss (often abbreviated to just PHB[1] or "The Boss") is Dilbert's boss in the Dilbert comic strip. He is notable for his micromanagement, gross incompetence and unawareness of his surroundings, yet somehow retains power in the workplace.
The Pointy-Haired Boss is mostly bald, except for a fringe of hair across the back of the head, and two tufts that rise to points above his ears (hence the name). Scott Adams has admitted that the Boss's odd hair was inspired by devil horns. He used to have jowls at first because Adams wanted the character to look gruff, but the boss ended up looking dumb instead.[2]
The Boss is frequently childish, immature, ignorant, and rude, yet also annoyingly cheerful and oblivious to his own actions. He frequently uses bizarre metaphors and analogies to "motivate" employees (Adams admits this to be a pet peeve), and on the TV series engages in rambling non sequiturs in conversation. In some strips, when he displays an above-average intelligence, or at least exhibits surprisingly original and cunning (albeit unethical or unscrupulous) thinking, Dilbert calls him a resourceful idiot. (Wikipedia)
Hence, my interest at this phrasing for the article I excerpt and give link to below. The second paragraph in the industry I work explains my management style precisely. I've often, in conversations with subordinates used the phrase: "I'm trying not to be the pointy-haired boss," and among techno-nerds/knowledge workers, my metaphor is generally understood.
How I do that is a balance between a level of direct engagement and an amount of trust in the engineer (that they must earn). Direct engagement is due the emphasis of our customer and their priorities. I'm likely to ask more questions and drive personnel to solutions in that case. I have two questions I pose: (1) What do you need? (2) How can I help you?
I avoid the obvious temptation to micromanage by having my own educational/career goals and blogging about physics. It tends to keep me out of the streets at night...
There's an extensive body of knowledge devoted to the management of people who think for a living—so-called "knowledge workers"—and to the knowledge-based projects they engage in. While this body of knowledge arose mainly from the software industry, where complex projects can be tough to manage and the stakes high—case in point: Healthcare.gov—it is applicable to other domains, including science.
Any resemblance between such an arrangement and your postdoc appointment is regrettable, because the best motivations of knowledge workers—and scientists above all—are entirely different from those of factory workers. Knowledge workers are motivated by the work itself and the pleasure of doing it, by an internal drive to find answers or to make things. As most readers of this essay surely know from experience, anything that undermines that motivation—pressure to produce, meddling by management, fear of sanctions, anxiety, resentment, even gratuitous performance bonuses—worsens work performance. The best approach to managing knowledge workers, then, is to clarify the objectives, provide the tools and support they need, facilitate collaboration, and get out of the way.
Science: Give Science Some Slack, Jim Austin
Business Insider: 10 Best Pointy-Haired Boss Moments from 'Dilbert', Jenna Goudreau
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