This is the first installment of a new section of my blog - the review of vintage books.
“The Peter Principle” is known by many, but few have taken the time to actually look at the book that defines the principle. This volume, written in 1969 by journalist Raymund Hull as a popular account of the work of Laurence J. Peter is a fascinating piece of work. Much to my surprise, this book is very tongue-in-cheek and full of self-criticism.
On the surface, the book is based on this idea:
Every employee tends to be promoted until the individual level of incompetence is reached.
Starting from this statement, a wohle new science (the so-called “hierarchology”) is developed and many interesting “real-life” examples are presented.
Great examples include the “flying T-Formation”, where 23 vice presidents lead 3 divisions, the “free floating apex” where “a director is in charge of a non-existing department” or the most modern hierarchy of all where the computer replaces all lower ranks and only managers would remain.
Many examples can be found in real life - my favorite example is the “lateral arabesque”, where a manager is moved out of the way and given a much longer, important-looking job title.
The authors also provide guidance on how to avoid the trap of the principle - for example by developing some eccentric traits, such as leaving all drawers on ones office open when leaving in the evening.
Ultimately, the book has a far wieder scope - Peter and Hull are concerned about mankind as such and urge the reader to prevent our race from begin promoted to far (into oblivion). Here, they speak of “life competence”, which we as a race must retain.
A weak point of the book is its latent sexism. In this aspect, the book seems dated, while the book is modern in most other aspects.
The end of the book is symptomatic of the theme: Peter asks if somebody is willing to fund a professors post for him (because he has proven competent at the PhD level). This humorous self-criticism is a very strong aspect of this book.
