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Laurence J. Peter

Raymond Hull

The Peter Principle Hardcover – June 1, 2001

by Peter (Author), Laurence J. (Author), Hull (Author),

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The classic #1 New York Times bestseller that answers the age-old questionWhy is incompetence so maddeningly rampant and so vexingly triumphant?

The Peter Principle, the eponymous law Dr. Laurence J. Peter coined, explains that everyone in a hierarchy--from the office intern to the CEO, from the low-level civil servant to a nation's president--will inevitably rise to his or her level of incompetence. Dr. Peter explains why incompetence is at the root of everything we endeavor to do--why schools bestow ignorance, why governments condone anarchy, why courts dispense injustice, why prosperity causes unhappiness, and why utopian plans never generate utopias.

With the wit of Mark Twain, the psychological acuity of Sigmund Freud, and the theoretical impact of Isaac Newton, Dr. Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull's The Peter Principle brilliantly explains how incompetence and its accompanying symptoms, syndromes, and remedies define the world and the work we do in it.

Language

English
Publisher

Amereon Ltd
Publication date

June 1, 2001
Dimensions

5.75 x 0.75 x 8.75 inches
ISBN-10

0848821564
ISBN-13

978-0848821562
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Editorial Reviews

Review

The Peter Principle has cosmic implications. --The New York Times

Ruefully delightful ... excruciatingly applicable and fun to read --Playboy

[The Peter Principle] has struck a throbbing public nerve... a minor cultural phenomenon and its title phrase, like Parkinson s Law, is certain to enter the language. --Life Magazine

About the Author

Laurence J. Peter was born in Canada and received an EdD from Washington State University. An experienced teacher, counselor, school psychologist, prison instructor, consultant, and university professor, he wrote articles for many journals and magazines as well as several books. He died in 1990.

Raymond Hull wrote many stage plays as well as articles for Punch, Maclean s, and Esquire. He died in 1985.

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Amereon Ltd (June 1, 2001)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0848821564
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0848821562
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.2 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.75 x 0.75 x 8.75 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,532,605 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,271 in Company Business Profiles (Books)
- #21,712 in Business Management (Books)
- #42,640 in Economics (Books)

Customer Reviews:
802 ratings

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Lorrie A. Oyer

This will open your eyes and possibly save your sanity

Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2020

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I always instinctively knew some of the principles outlined in this book, but was never able to verbalize or put them all together. When you see the scenerios of the incompetent people's promotions play out in your place of work, you'll understand why the incompetent people get promoted, and how they're able to keep their jobs. I was often one of the people who got stepped on for doing too good a job(or "rocking the boat"), and I never understood why until I read this book. It restored my faith in my sanity(but not in humanity--humanity ruined that for me).

9 people found this helpful

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My Dad Was Right!

Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2019

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Growing up my father would always talk about the Peter Principle, and how we were doomed to be surrounded by incompetent people. He usually talked about the Peter Principle when I was having a pity party for myself because I had messed up at school or work. So when I saw this Kindle version in the daily e-book deals, I had to get it.
I will confess there were times I was laughing out loud and other times a feeling of dread came over me while reading it. Peter and Hull nail it, and they do so in a humorous way. Anyone who is looking for a promotion should read this book. In fact, if you have been turned down for promotion, you should read this book. The book is very funny while being extremely candid.

12 people found this helpful

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Adama Coulibaly

A great book with great case studies

Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2015

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I really love this book: very interesting to read with several real life case studies that are sometime hilarious. For example a receptionist has returned a mail to the sender to be resent by post to ensure safe delivery as per company policy.

Peter classified incompetence in 4 categories and how they manifest themselves:

1. Physical incompetence. This is what we usually focus on,

2. Social incompetence,

3. Emotional incompetence, and

4. Mental incompetence.

Usually we try to fix the physical incompetence by bringing more resources particularly HR. Then we progressively create what the author refers to as the Peter Spiral. We ended of creating the other incompetence and find ourselves with several people that have reached the Peter's Plateau and has a Promotion Quotient of zero.

Once a manager/leader reached the Peter's Plateau, instead of carrying out his or her duties, he or she found substitution techniques. For example he or she delays decisions making through:

- Downward Buckpass: a subordinate is asked to decide an issue that is really above his level of responsibility,

- Upward Buckpass: examine the case until he finds some tiny point which will justify sending it to a higher level, and

- Outward Buckpass: assemble a committee and follow majority vote.

When you show the above signs frequently, the person was promoted beyond his level of competence and has reached the Peter's Plateau.

The good news is that there are remedies. Some of these remedies can be taken by individuals and some of them by organisations. When these remedies are well applied, most people will work at their level of competence and society as a whole will benefit.

This book is a must read for HR professionals and leaders in all organisations.

17 people found this helpful

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M. Naegele

Should be required reading in high school

Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2020

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It's an important book that everyone should have to read in high school. This reprint has all the words in it. But I did enjoy reading the hardback better probably because I'm 62 and the print is bigger. That being said it would have been nice to have the pictures in it. But still I'm glad to see there is a new print of it out there because it is such an important book.

2 people found this helpful

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Mike

Blew my mind

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2012

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The whole time I'm reading this, I'm thinking, "Jesus, this was written in the 60's and it's more truer than ever today." In every organization I've worked in, I've seen the Peter Principle in action. It's depressing and inevitable. It's likely the main downfall of modern business and I would love to work for a company that embraces the principle as a practice to avoid by restructuring the hierarchy.

While the book is fantastic in explaining the different components and manifestations of the PP, it lacks detail in how to manipulate it. I found that section lacking clarity. I have read a few books on bettering oneself and it seems like there's 2 components: recognizing the problem and fixing the problem. This book leans heavily on recognizing the problem and graces the doorstep of fixing the problem. I suppose it's up to me to figure that out in my organization.

I still gave this book 5 stars despite that criticism. It's a classic for business reading and a must-have for anyone looking to climb the corporate ladder based on merit. It's oddly surprising what you'll find out based on that.

9 people found this helpful

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Patrick Devine

One of the best books on business.

Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2018

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If you look around on how business's grow and eventually fail, and how people get promoted and promoted until they achieve a level where they reach a level of incompetence, this book explains it all. Read it 4 decades ago and haven't found a business book to surpass it.

2 people found this helpful

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Dan

Good. Book to Review

Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2020

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The Principle Dr. Peter proposes makes sense. He does minimize any research to support his observation. This lack of documentation turned me off when I first looked into the book almost fifty years ago. I heard him speak several years ago about his work and he put it into a context that made sense. The book has merit and has some humor.

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Keith Farrell

Quite funny, and easy to see examples in real life

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 7, 2017

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Quite funny, and easy to see examples in real life.

Sometimes it does feel very dated, and possibly even very American-centric. If it is intended as a serious scientific study and exposition of the matter, then it is probably only worth 3 stars, as the application of proper scientific method seems a bit shaky in places. As a humorous look at a problem that most people will recognise, it is worth the fourth star.

One person found this helpful

A John

Entertaining

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 18, 2010

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The Peter Principle is the theory that people are generally promoted to their level of incompetence - and its described throughout with a wry sense of humour.

It's one of those common sense type books - easy to read, and with plenty of anecdotes with scenarios people will recognise, including those who are at either end of the competence spread, and get fired for being overly incompetent, or overly good at their job.

I wasn't as impressed with the Victorian cartoons. While they are funny - they are too small in this version, and much of the detail is lost in "dark blob". But that is a minor niggle. On the whole, the book is entertaining, and will give a few cynical laughs, particularly after a stressful week at the office!

2 people found this helpful

Coxy

The Peter Principle

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 9, 2012

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This isn't a new publication and I actually bought this copy for a friend, having read it myself some years ago. It's an amusing look at how organisations work and how there there is a logical explanation for the gradual accumulation of incompetency that often seems to characterize established bureaucratic structures. The basic principle is perfectly straightforward and is sure to ring bells in your own experience. Further into the book, however, the author gets into certain 'embellishments' of the fundamental Principle and provides strategies for avoiding its worse effects, or indeed to avoid falling foul of them yourself. Well worth a read!

One person found this helpful

Redshark

Some relevant points but not much fun to read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 24, 2018

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The information contained in this book could have been imparted in a much shorter time. As the book was written a long time ago (1969 I think) the style did not appeal to me. There are a few jems littered across the book but overall I did not enjoy it much.

A. W. Wakefield

This book is a classic.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 30, 2018

Verified Purchase

This book is a classic and essential reading for anyone who wants to know how the world works. Easy reading.

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