The Peter Principle, a concept first introduced by Canadian psychologist Dr. Laurence J. Peter in his 1968 book “The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong?” states that in a hierarchy, employees tend to rise to their level of incompetence.
According to the principle, competent employees are promoted to higher positions, but eventually reach a level at which they are unable to perform effectively and are stuck in that position. This can lead to a situation where the organization is filled with employees who are unable to perform their duties at their current level, resulting in a lack of overall productivity and efficiency.
In Germany there is a saying for this: “Er wurde befördert bis zum höchsten Grad seiner Inkompetenz!”, means literally “He was promoted to the highest level of his incompetence!”
He was promoted to the highest level of his incompetence!
Laurence J. Peter
To illustrate this concept, let’s consider the fictional character “Pedrito” Pedrito started out as a hard-working and competent employee in a company. Over time, he was promoted several times due to his excellent performance, but eventually reached a position that he was unable to perform effectively in. Despite this, he remained in that position, unable to be promoted further and unable to perform his duties to the best of his ability.
This scenario is a common occurrence in many organizations and highlights the importance of considering an employee’s abilities and limitations when making promotions. The Peter Principle suggests that it is better for organizations to place employees in positions where they can succeed and not promote them beyond their level of competence.
You can learn more about the Peter Principle on its Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_principle