[영어기록] The Peter Principle

 

 

1. Read an Article

integriaims.com/en/peter-principle/

The Peter Principle and The Dilbert Principle, what are these?

 

[Summary]

- The Peter Principle, also known as The Peter principle of Incompetence, claims that people who do their job well are promoted to positions of greater responsibility, and so on, until they reach a position in which they are incompetent, so they remain stuck in that position.

 

- For example, a devoted mechanic who is promoted to the position of manager. From his new position, he gets in the way of the work of his subordinates; he is also unable to remain still and he is continually doing things that he is not meant to do, this way, he is not making it easier for these employees to work. In the end, neither he nor his employees can carry out their jobs so they end up totally frustrated.

 

- In order to reduce the effects of the Peter Principle, some companies opt for solutions such as getting managers back to their previous positions or rewarding the most productive workers with a pay rise rather than a promotion. Another option is to train these people in order for them to stop being incompetent in that new position; In order to achieve this, it is very important to be aware of one’s own inability to do that job.

 

- The Dilbert Principle is just a variation of the Peter Principle; and it emphasises that incompetent employees are intentionally promoted to prevent them from causing harm.

 

 

[Words & Phrases]

- comic strip: a sequence of drawings in boxes that tell an amusing story, typically printed in a newspaper or comic book

 

- coin: invent or devise (a new word or phrase)

- variation: a change in amount or level

• Unemployment rates among white-collar workers show much less regional variation than corresponding rates among blue-collar workers.