The Peter Principle
In 1969, Laurence Peter and Raymund Hull wrote a book called The Peter Principle, whose pithy and irreverent catch phrase was: People in a hierarchy tend to rise to the level of their incompetence.
Originally, the book was meant to be a satire, but it was based on a fairly common sense set of ideas. Most organizations promote people who perform well, and deny promotions to those who do not. It stands to reason, then, that people will be promoted until they reach a level where their performance no longer justifies promotion--the level of their incompetence. Moreover, promotion from one level to another often involves mastering a new skill set, so the emergence of incompetence is often triggered by the promotion itself.
Over the years, the Peter Principle has been validated by many studies across many industries, and the place where it applies most dramatically is at a worker’s first promotion to a management position.
Think of how this applies to physicians. After many years in an organization, they prove themselves to be expert clinicians. They are skilled, experienced, and admired by patients and peers. Then, one day, someone gets the bright idea to promote them to a leadership position. Their clinical time is reduced. Their relationships with patients and co-workers are altered. They are asked to take on administrative tasks for which they have no training and no proven skill. What could go wrong?
I’m being somewhat facetious, of course. Many of the same qualities that make a great clinician also make a great leader: intelligence, communication skills, empathy, problem-solving, etc. But my point is, the transition to leadership is not a slam dunk. It’s a moment when a career can get derailed, and when a previously happy, high-performing clinician can become a struggling, ineffective leader.
The answer isn’t to avoid promoting good clinicians--it’s to invest as much in their education and development as leaders as we did in their clinical education. If we don’t, we run the risk that every leadership position will be occupied by someone who lacks the competence to lead. How much is it worth to avoid such a fate?
