I got the impression that the pool was limited to just one person, the PHB himself. He wants confirmation of this fantasy from Dilbert and Alice. One fist of doom to go, please.....
Is PHB a scholar of the Peter Principle and fears promoting staff into incompetence? Or perhaps he fears removing competent staff from production as per the Dilbert principle?... or perhaps he has a nephew who is out of work due to the recession and really just wants to give the position to him.