How Did We Get So Dumb? - Part 3

The Principles of Peter & Dilbert

The Peter Principle is a concept in management that suggests employees in a hierarchy tend to be promoted until they reach a level where they are no longer competent. It was introduced by Dr. Laurence J. Peter in his 1969 book The Peter Principle.

How It Works:

1. Employees who perform well in their current role are promoted.

2. If they excel in the new role, they are promoted again.

3. This continues until they reach a position where they lack the necessary skills.

4. Once they reach this level of incompetence, they remain stuck there, unable to advance further.

Implications:

• Organizations may end up with ineffective leadership because promotions are based on past performance rather than suitability for the new role.

• Employees may become frustrated or unhappy when they struggle in their new positions.

This might explain why some some people get promoted to their level of incompetence and why organizations struggle with inefficiency at higher levels.

On the other hand, Scott Adams gives his own take on the workings of corporations in “The Dilbert Principle”. This suggests that companies tend to systematically promote their least competent employees to management positions to minimize the damage they can do in productive roles.

Have you ever seen either of these principles happen in real life? Have you noticed how some people seem to “fail up”?