Editing Peter principle (section)

{{Short description|Management concept by Laurence J. Peter}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2015}}
[[File:Cover of The Peter Principle by Pan Books.jpeg|thumbnail|The cover of ''The Peter Principle'' (1970 Pan Books edition)]]

The '''Peter principle''' is a concept in [[management]] developed by [[Laurence J. Peter]] which observes that people in a [[hierarchy]] tend to rise to "a level of respective incompetence": employees are promoted based on their success in previous jobs until they reach a level at which they are no longer [[Competence (human resources)|competent]], as skills in one job do not necessarily translate to another.<ref name=skprez>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Xa1fAAAAIBAJ&sjid=0DIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2914%2C3242820 |work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=(Idaho) |last=Flynn |first=Dan |title= Peter of the incompetency principle speaks of presidents, now and soon |date=November 8, 1980 |page=2B}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Hayes|first=Adam|date=Aug 21, 2020|title=Peter Principle: What You Need to Know|url=https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/peter-principle.asp|access-date=2021-03-17|website=Investopedia|language=en}}</ref>

The concept was explained in the 1969 book ''The Peter Principle'' ([[William Morrow and Company]]) by [[Laurence J. Peter|Laurence Peter]] and [[Raymond Hull]].<ref name=":1" /> Hull wrote the text, which was based on Peter's research. Peter and Hull intended the book to be [[satire]],<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/15/obituaries/laurence-j-peter-is-dead-at-70-his-principle-satirized-business.html|title=Laurence J. Peter Is Dead at 70; His 'Principle' Satirized Business|last=Barron|first=James|date=1990-01-15|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-11-26|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> but it became popular as it was seen to make a serious point about the shortcomings of how people are promoted within hierarchical organizations. The Peter principle has since been the subject of much commentary and research.