The Price of the Easy Path: Reflections on the Peter Principle
I have been rereading "The Peter Principle" recently, and each time, it gives me new insights into my work managing teams. I am not surprised to see the ideas in the book play out in my daily work.
What I wonder about is this: if "The Peter Principle" explains the problem so clearly, why do companies keep making the same classic management mistakes? Why do we still promote the wrong people or force great Individual Contributors (ICs) onto the management track?
In a large organization, it takes a long time to realize that a manager is struggling and has hit their ceiling of competence.
Companies don't promote the wrong people because they are unaware of the Peter Principle. They do it because fixing the real problem is hard. Changing a company's reward structure and shifting how we evaluate people requires a lot of courage and comes at a high cost.
Most organizations choose the easy path for the short term. The price they pay is a stagnant system in the long run.