1974: Are YOU at your level of INCOMPETENCE? | The Peter Principle

1974: Are YOU at your level of INCOMPETENCE? | The Peter Principle | BBC Archive

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Жыл бұрын

The Peter Principle states "In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence". The mind behind the Peter Principle, Dr Laurence J Peter explains some of the observations that informed his theory, and has some advice for those of you who wish to avoid reaching your own level of incompetence.
Originally broadcast 20 March, 1974
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Пікірлер: 70

@david1731048 Жыл бұрын

50 years later and employers still haven't caught on to this paradox?

@davidtexmex1616 Жыл бұрын

From 1974 and how accurate this still is!

@bladder1010 6 ай бұрын

More accurate than ever, it would seem!

@Veni_Vidi_Vortice Жыл бұрын

I meet such people every day where I work, quite often several times a day.

@davedogge2280 Жыл бұрын

The Peter Principle is the only entrance exam required at Westminster Parliament.

@bradford_shaun_murray Жыл бұрын

4:55

@bpfromowc Жыл бұрын

This guy is great. I love listening to him. He’s funny without trying to be funny. 😄 He also makes some great points. 🙂

@emilian7052 Жыл бұрын

Dr Laurence J. Peter 1919-1990🙏

@Seal0626 Жыл бұрын

The graphics are amazing.

@bradford_shaun_murray Жыл бұрын

not really, they were crap when I remember them in the 70s and still crap now

@barrypiggott7704 Жыл бұрын

some great Paddy Kingsland music in that. One piece sounds like it's a variation on his "Earthmen" track.

@MadBiker-vj5qj Жыл бұрын

Yeah, this happens all too often in the Civil Service. I was pretty good at my job, and after a few years they made me the deputy manager of this particular department. I went for it as it meant more money, but after a couple of months I had a nervous breakdown with the stress of having to manage *people*, rather than just doing the job. I asked to be demoted back to my old position and all went well after that. I saw this happen many times over.

@scaredyfish Жыл бұрын

It’s sad that being good at your job isn’t reason enough to give you more money. You have to do management, which is an entirely different job.

@philipsmith4321 Жыл бұрын

Yes I was in the Civil Service for all my working life. The only way to get more money was to get promoted. Unfortunately, this lead to a lot of people in jobs that they were totally unsuitable for.

@bradford_shaun_murray Жыл бұрын

4:55

@martinburkinshaw8799 6 ай бұрын

Very brave asking to be demoted. His extended theory, that people are employed until they leave that job through retirement, redundancy or being fired. We have had a couple of people who decided to revert to their previous grade. Mentioned with a sort of stigma - probably envied by some in the same position.

@scaredyfish Жыл бұрын

This is why I don’t want to be a manager. Unfortunately, management is the only way to get decent pay.

@BOZ_11 Жыл бұрын

@DnB and Psy Production yes but the ratio is 100:1

@mourtejin Жыл бұрын

In our current system, managers are paid too much, simply by being managers. Skilled workers should be paid well, according to their merit. Same for skilled managers. Skilled managers should be paid more than their unskilled workers. And skilled workers should be paid more than their unskilled managers. To see this played out would actually discourage bad managers from seeking management positions, as their compensation would be lower than that of the people they manage, depriving them of at least one power they currently hold over the skilled worker, which is higher pay. The management 'skill tree' should run 2D parallel to the worker 'skill tree', not 3D over it.

@hunterluxton5976 6 ай бұрын

Totally agree. I was a teacher for 17 years. Topnotch the pay scale, the managers were crap at thrir job, they were all teachers who had no training. I refused to be s manager as I knew nothing about managing...

@Ridersonthestorm8899 Жыл бұрын

This is like a Peter Serafinowicz Sketch,especially the music. Great stuff.

@davedogge2280 Жыл бұрын

lol

@Beardodoomus Жыл бұрын

Goes to show how well realised the satire of Serafinowicz and Time Trumpet etc actually was.

@themadplotter Жыл бұрын

Almost if all his shows contained parody’s.

@thesatisfiedcustomer4869 Жыл бұрын

The Peter principle definitely has a place in workplace theories

@LuiWallentinGttler Жыл бұрын

Uh somebody got a new machine for making titles for this little video. Apart from that this sounds like a valid principle and some great observations the good doctor made here. Why oh why is this not better known.

@VJFranzK Жыл бұрын

thoughtful! we discovered the maximum incompetence in USA and UK recently! but you solved it better. (like the vintage synth music + vfx!)

@VJFranzK Жыл бұрын

@@jimb12312 Yes, I think that is exactly what makes it vintage. 😉 what definition do you have for that word?

@stuartmcalpine9468 Ай бұрын

In the book one example is a man that takes the promotion to impress other people like family and wife and does not like the job but can’t ever leave without destroying his “life.”

@MilkShake Жыл бұрын

Everything in this is abaolutely Brillient!

@pholloway Жыл бұрын

Adore the music and animations in this 🥰

@chrisblum8358 Жыл бұрын

Those animators and syth wizards need a promotion!

@WythenshawePhil Жыл бұрын

I find them silly and annoying. Too loud as well. However, they look dated in a nostalgic way, so that's a plus.

@Beardodoomus Жыл бұрын

I'd recommend to everyone reading the Peter Principal book. If you wonder where society and those in expertise's default state of mediocrity has come from these days, it's all explained in the book. Nearly 50 years later and it's even more applicable today.

@TinLeadHammer Жыл бұрын

princiPLE. It was even written on the interstitials.

@Andreas-gh6is Жыл бұрын

Be careful with things that sound true and explain everything. I'd question the assumption that there wasn't "mediocrity" before.

@vjosullivan Жыл бұрын

Does it need a whole book to explain a principle that can be explained in a couple of sentences.

@ilanraeayalabaciu2957 Жыл бұрын

@@vjosullivan you can also explain how to do jaw surgery in a couple of sentences

@2davivadiva Жыл бұрын

Lol people getting so triggered

@BrayTube Жыл бұрын

Still happening with frightening regularity.

@zeethreepio Жыл бұрын

Every Single Office in the UK

@gladiammgtow4092 Жыл бұрын

Always has and will be this way.

@Pikestnt Жыл бұрын

Lovely to see the man himself. Another great book is Parkinson’s Law. The main law is quite well known but the book is satirically written and draws numerous conclusions upon the causes of poor management. And once again, it was written 60+ years ago

@ericredbear425 Жыл бұрын

Had to look it up: Parkinson’s Law - Originally published: 1942 ... 80 years old! and just as the US joined the war. Even more impressive...

@user-nx5ll9xx9b 9 ай бұрын

The 70's electronic music is great 😀

@KarmasAbutch 7 ай бұрын

Yeah I kinda wanna know where the person “doing digital” in 1974 ended up 😂

@lybri5490 Жыл бұрын

I agree that they seldom put people in managerial positions with proper training and preparation

@nikolaizaicev9297 3 ай бұрын

They seldom even teach managers at universities. I have a bachelor and master degrees in management and business administration. These 2 are actually uselles pieces of paper, since 90% of the stuff that is taught at university is plainly wrong and incomplete. Now wonder that the average lifespan of a firm is so low, most of them are managed by incompetent people.

@pellis47 Жыл бұрын

The mechanic example he used is a good way on how to overcome the problem. Said mechanic would have been incompetent when he first started, but over several years would have mastered his craft. The same process applies as a foreman. He has to learn and be taught how to be a foreman. That takes time. So the boss now has to help his new foreman settle into the role over several months, or by giving him the responsibility gradually. The incompetence is with the boss, not the mechanic/foreman.

@JonesNate Жыл бұрын

What if the boss is also at his own level of incompetence?

@caof2005 8 ай бұрын

It would be interesting to know how does a person got his/her mastery ? Probably self determination, tenacity and focus would have been important ingredients ? But it is also important to know if other external elements participated like teachers, trainers, coaches and mentors. Probably a way to overcome that situation is to acquire new skills and try, experiment, monitor and adjust in a calculated conscious way.

@BenRudolph 5 ай бұрын

if there are regulations on businesses which require or incentivize HR to increase salaries each year then there is pressure to promote people to positions commensurate with salaries

@skullandbones1832 Жыл бұрын

❤️

@galahadxyc5337 Жыл бұрын

I've only question my education during my college years, . I drop out most of my subjects 😓

@giuseppeLizzi-rj3er 4 ай бұрын

I’m having questions in my mind to about everything

@112chapters3 Жыл бұрын

Yeah man gimme a badge

@giuseppeLizzi-rj3er 4 күн бұрын

He looks like my neighbor my dad made him an omelette I don’t think he was a bad guy but he was a prison officer I think 🤔

@giuseppeLizzi-rj3er 4 ай бұрын

Very strange life

@dus10dnd Жыл бұрын

There is a flaw with this logic. It is a survivorship bias. It isn't that they put you into a role for which you're incompetent... it is that you get promoted no further because of the incompetence in that present level.

@stuartmcalpine9468 Ай бұрын

That is exactly his point. The way he says it is humorous way…ha..ha.

@comic4relief Ай бұрын

Applies to politics as well, yeah?

@timthelamb 5 күн бұрын

Pity the poor sparrows who are dumped on by the crows. Laurence fails to mention the numerous examples of persons being promoted due to favouritism, nepotism and cronyism, and those who are promoted as a precautionary measure to minimise harm to an organisation. Perhaps we could call this precautionary promotion.