This week I’ve been learning about the Peter Principle which is, shortly stated:
Anything that works will be used in progressively more challenging applications until it fails
Or in an organisation:
In a hierarchically structured administration, people tend to be promoted up to their level of incompetence
Read more: How stuff works
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There’s an interesting programme on Radio 4 this week
Here’s the blurb:
Claudia Hammond charts the development of mental health care in the UK from the 1950s until today, to ask where we are now, and where we’re going. Will the stigma of mental illness ever be entirely removed?
Programmes are:
Altered states
Total institution
And if you’re an University Shrink, like we have by the score around here – academic brilliance can take you to very high levels of incompetence indeed.
Thanks for the link to the Peter Principle.
There was an interesting article on Parkinson’s Law in the Jan 14 issue of New Scientist:
http://preview.tinyurl.com/7kn8c2
Best wishes from grey wet Liverpool
“. . . academic brilliance can take you to very high levels of incompetence indeed.”
Priceless!