Park in Sons Peters

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Peters Principleby Jordan Lee Valente / PA 205


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The concept was introduced by

Canadian sociologist Dr. Laurence

Johnston Peter in his humoristic book

of the same title. In his book, hedescribes the pitfalls of the

bureaucracy in organizations

witnessed during his extensive

research into business organization

and its management.

Peters Principle


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The Peter Principle book has attained such renown that

The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as "The

theory that employees within an organization will

advance to their highest level of competence and thenbe promoted to and remain at a level at which they

are incompetent." ... "In a hierarchically structured

administration, people tend to be promoted up to their

level of incompetence," or, as Dr. Peters

Principal explained more simply, "The cream rises until

it sours."

Peters Principle


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Peter Principle Management is the concept that in

bureaucratic organizations, new employees typically

start in the lower ranks, but when they prove to be

competent in the task to which they are assigned, theyget promoted to a higher rank, generally management.

This process of climbing up the hierarchical ladder can

go on indefinitely, until the employee reaches a position

where he or she is no longer competent.

Peters Principle


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At that moment the process typically stops, since the

established rules of bureaucracies make it very difficult

to "demote" someone to a lower rank, even if that

person would be a much better fit and happier in anon-management role. The net result of this principle is

that most of the management levels of a bureaucracy

will be filled by incompetent people, who got there

because they were quite good at doing different (and

usually, but not always, easier) work than the work they

are currently expected to perform.

Peters Principle


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Work is accomplished by those employees who have

not reached their level of incompetence. Thus we can

see why organizations still function even as Peter.

Peters Principle


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Parkinsons Lawby Jordan Lee Valente / PA 205


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Parkinsons Law

In 1958, English author and historian Cyril Northcote

Parkinson (1909-1993) wrote a satirical book

describing human behavior, Parkinson's Law: The

Pursuit of Progress. This was the source of the quote"Work expands to fill the time available."

Parkinsons Law (sometimes called Parkinson's

Principle) has been found startlingly accurate,

enough to merit its adoption into mainstream

thinking. Indeed Parkinson's Law is so widely quoted

that many do not realize its humorous intent.


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Parkinsons Law

Even if the law is only

partially valid, there are

major implications for the

efficiency of organizations,

management efficiency,

and motivation of the

workforce.


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Management's Role

It is definitely worthwhile to consider the possibility

that real world occurrences of Parkinson's Law and

the citing thereof by managers who wish to justify

their Theory X management style and "aggressivegoal setting" scheduling technique may simply be a

manifestation of the Rosenthal Effect, or "Self-

Fulfilling Prophecy".


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Management's Role

For example, say the manager was Peter

Principle'd into their current management role, and

is not particularly skilled at hiring, scheduling, or

communicating. One of the repercussions of theseinabilities might be work expanding to fill the time

available with these "substandard staff" (justifying

his role as their leader) and the only way to keep this

effect in check would beactive micromanagement (rather than self-

improvement).


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To be continued

Documents

Park in Sons Peters