Laws That Aren't Laws: The Peter Principle - Episode 4

n 1969, Canadian educationist Lawrence J. Peter developed an
unorthodox concept that became known as The Peter Principle: “In
a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of
incompetence". His satirical insights into business struck a
chord with many subordinates across a range of organisations.
Peter went on to develop his theory further, claiming that "in
time, every post tends to be occupied by an employee who is
incompetent to carry out his duties".


So how is any work achieved? Are companies giant machines for
sorting people into precisely the jobs they can't do? And to what
extent are brilliant people really promoted until they become
awful managers? Robin Ince decodes the humorous jargon that
ensured Peter's book remained on best seller list for months
after its publication. He hears from Yale Professor of Finance
Kelly Shue, who offers the first empirical evidence for the Peter
Principle in action, and Prof Robert Sutton of Stanford
University on how to evade this law of hierarchy and dodge ever
reaching your level of incompetence.


Produced by Adrian Washbourne. First broadcast on Thursday 27 Aug
2020.