Peter Principle


noun
  1. any of several satirical “laws” concerning organizational structure, especially one that holds that people tend to be promoted until they reach their level of incompetence.

Origin of Peter Principle

1
From of a book of the same name (1969) by Laurence J. Peter (1919–90), Canadian educator

Words Nearby Peter Principle

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British Dictionary definitions for Peter Principle

Peter Principle

noun
  1. the Peter Principle the theory, usually taken facetiously, that all members in a hierarchy rise to their own level of incompetence

Origin of Peter Principle

1
C20: from the book The Peter Principle (1969) by Dr. Lawrence J. Peter and Raymond Hull, in which the theory was originally propounded

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Peter Principle

Peter Principle

A rule of organizations that states, “In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.” Formulated by Laurence J. Peter, this rule is supposed to explain occupational incompetence.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.