Peter Principle

The Peter principle is a concept in management developed by Laurence J. Peter, observing that people in a hierarchy tend to rise to a level of respective incompetence, promoted on the strength of their success in a previous job until they reach a position at which they are no longer competent, since the skills that succeeded in one job do not necessarily transfer to the next. The concept was explained in the 1969 book The Peter Principle, written by Raymond Hull based on Peter's research; the two intended it as satire, but it became popular for making what readers took as a serious point about the shortcomings of promotion within hierarchical organizations, and it has since drawn substantial commentary and research of its own.