Comments on: Hiring your next Superstar? Are you looking in the right places? http://www.techsmb.ca/blog/hr/hiring-your-next-superstar-are-you-looking-in-the-right-places/ Technology Insight & Education for Your Small Business Mon, 19 Jul 2010 20:32:13 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.1 hourly 1 By: Ben http://www.techsmb.ca/blog/hr/hiring-your-next-superstar-are-you-looking-in-the-right-places/comment-page-1/#comment-969 Ben Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:15:06 +0000 http://www.techsmb.ca/blog/?p=305#comment-969 Ashok, thanks for your feedback and questions. For those not familiar with the term, here's a quick wikipedia summary on the "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Principle" rel="nofollow">Peter Principle</a>": <blockquote>The Peter Principle is the principle that "In a Hierarchy Every Employee Tends to Rise to His Level of Incompetence." It holds that in a hierarchy, members are promoted so long as they work competently. Sooner or later they are promoted to a position at which they are no longer competent (their "level of incompetence"), and there they remain, being unable to earn further promotions. </blockquote> I don't personally believe in the existence of this principle. As human beings we possess capabilities that enable us to accomplishing just about anything we set our mind to. What Dr. Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull identify as the Peter Principle can be attributed to a number of different behaviours and attributes, the least of which I believe is incompetence. Here's what I think: Employees often reach a level of satisfaction in their careers, especially after promotions. This sense of satisfaction and achievement is often combined with a sense of entitlement. Highly acclaimed employee superstars become comfortable in their success and they stop doing what brought them their recognition and accolades in the first place. Whether the Peter Principle exists or not, as employers, we must constantly strive to implement a structure that continues to encourage, teach, measure and reward employees at all levels. Ashok, thanks for your feedback and questions.

For those not familiar with the term, here’s a quick wikipedia summary on the “Peter Principle“:

The Peter Principle is the principle that “In a Hierarchy Every Employee Tends to Rise to His Level of Incompetence.” It holds that in a hierarchy, members are promoted so long as they work competently. Sooner or later they are promoted to a position at which they are no longer competent (their “level of incompetence”), and there they remain, being unable to earn further promotions.

I don’t personally believe in the existence of this principle. As human beings we possess capabilities that enable us to accomplishing just about anything we set our mind to. What Dr. Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull identify as the Peter Principle can be attributed to a number of different behaviours and attributes, the least of which I believe is incompetence.

Here’s what I think: Employees often reach a level of satisfaction in their careers, especially after promotions. This sense of satisfaction and achievement is often combined with a sense of entitlement. Highly acclaimed employee superstars become comfortable in their success and they stop doing what brought them their recognition and accolades in the first place.

Whether the Peter Principle exists or not, as employers, we must constantly strive to implement a structure that continues to encourage, teach, measure and reward employees at all levels.

]]> By: Ashok http://www.techsmb.ca/blog/hr/hiring-your-next-superstar-are-you-looking-in-the-right-places/comment-page-1/#comment-950 Ashok Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:56:40 +0000 http://www.techsmb.ca/blog/?p=305#comment-950 Hey Ben: Very interesting and refreshing view. Two quick comments/questions: 1) What about the so-called "Peter Principle"? 2) Re: "It doesn’t take much more than a few minutes with a person to know their potential". Perhaps. However, it I think it takes time to develop such extraordinary attentiveness and sensitivity. I've often felt that one can tell a lot about a person by observing how they act in the most "trivial" of situations, such as how they behave when they have been inadvertently wronged by a stranger...... cut off in a queue, short-changed in error and so on. That should stir things up a bit...... Just thought I would liven up things a bit..... :-) Ashok Hey Ben:

Very interesting and refreshing view. Two quick comments/questions:

1) What about the so-called “Peter Principle”?

2) Re: “It doesn’t take much more than a few minutes with a person to know their potential”. Perhaps. However, it I think it takes time to develop such extraordinary attentiveness and sensitivity. I’ve often felt that one can tell a lot about a person by observing how they act in the most “trivial” of situations, such as how they behave when they have been inadvertently wronged by a stranger…… cut off in a queue, short-changed in error and so on.

That should stir things up a bit……

Just thought I would liven up things a bit….. :-)

Ashok

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