Biography of Laurence J. Peter

Laurence J. Peter was born in Vancouver, Canada in Sep. 16, 1919

Peter got his Education in the United States, and he studied at Western Washington State College. He completed his Ph.D. from Washington State College in 1963

He worked as Professor of Education at University of Southern California

After completing his Ph.D., he worked as a teacher at University of British Columbia

1969, he developed a concept along with his colleague Raymond Hull, and this concept was published in a book titled "The Peter Principle". The book was rejected by 30 publishers before it was finally published and 8 million copies of the book were sold (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica)

The Peter Principle

This theory asserts that organizations have a tendency to help their employees in rising the hierarchy level until they reach at a level of incompetence

It means that en employee is given promotion from one job to the other, and this cycle continues until the employee reaches at the level of incompetence

Peter tried to explain that competent employees should be promoted, but they should not be promoted in a way that they reach some point, where they don't have any competency to work

For instance, if an employee from Front Desk is promoted to work as PA to CEO, he/she may not be competent to do this. He/she can be effective in his/her previous role (Lazear)

Classroom Connections

In a classroom environment, students do look for some motivation and inspiration to work hard and set few goals, which can be achieved with the passage of time

There are so many theories, which deal with the motivation level of students so that they show deep interest in learning because learning is essential for their future development

Peter Principle can be associated with a classroom environment in a sense that students should be involved in tasks, which they are capable to handle. There is Cognition Evaluation Theory, which asserts that students feel more motivated to do any task when they feel that they are competent to do that particular task, and it will fulfill their needs. 

It means that competency plays an important role in the learning and motivation of students

So, if they will reach a level, where they will not be competent to do something, it will lead to their de-motivation, which is not good for them

So, the Peter Principle can be connected to the classroom learning environment that competency is crucial for real development and growth. If employee or students will be involved in a task, where they don't have the required competency, then it will lead them to failure rather leading to success (Conti)

Real World Connections

It is true that promotion is good for the motivation of employees, but if this promotion puts them in a position where they are no more competent, then it is rather damaging for their future growth & development

The promotion is important, but motivation and competence are equally important for employees to remain focused on their job. If they will lose competency and motivation, then they may lose their interest in the job

Cognition Evolution Theory is very important for companies to understand that intrinsic and extrinsic motivation along with competency is critical for their real development, otherwise their growth and learning will stop, leading them to failure

Scott Adams was really inspired by the concept of "Peter Principle", and he came up with similar theory named as the "Dilbert Principle"

Scott Adams tried to explain that incompetent employees are promoted to other management positions so that they are removed from the workflow, which is being affected by their incompetence

Scott Adams said that "Leadership is Nature's way of removing morons from the productive flow." (Sprackett)

 Works Cited of Laurence J. Peter

Conti, Gianfranco. Eight motivational theories and their implications for the classroom. 2015. 1 December 2019 <https://gianfrancoconti.com/2015/07/27/eight-motivational-theories-and-their-implications-for-the-foreign-language-classroom/>.

Lazear, Edward. "The Peter Principle: A Theory of Decline." Journal of Political Economy 112.S1 (2004).

Sprackett, S. Zachariah. Am I good enough? 2015. 1 December 2019 <https://medium.com/the-ascent/am-i-good-enough-f997c27b0bba>.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Laurence J. Peter. 2019. 1 December 2019 <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Laurence-J-Peter>.