Beyond the Peter Principle [MicroBusiness]

Examines the management concepts of the "Peter Principle" and discusses whether the theories behind this philosophy still hold in business and organizations today. The Peter Principle by Laurence J. Peter was a best-selling management book in the 1970s and is still available today. You’re probably familiar with its central concept, which is based on the author’s observation that people tend to be promoted to their level of incompetence. That is to say, people who are successful tend to be moved up because they are successful, not because they are well suited for the job they are promoted into. As a result, people are elevated until they are no longer successful, and there they stay. If true, this would suggest that every manager is incompetent (which, though not uncommon, is certainly not the case with every manager).