Why do incompetent people get promoted??

[driver8]

I work at a major motion picture studio in a department that re-masters films and tv shows. Our department has become "the dumping ground" for another department that has been down sized. This results in our department having a lot of "management types" that have no freakin' clue what they are doing, as the jobs of the two departments are quite different.

So, we have this guy who they brought in as an accountant (I thought). The first couple of weeks he was here he was trying to learn what everyone did to "stream line" the operation to make things more efficient. In speaking with him, it was obvious that he didn't know anything about the technical jobs that we do here. He was pretty much clueless.

A few weeks ago, our operations manager resigned. Guess what? They slid this new guy into that slot. Ok...let him learn that job and he can't really f*ck up anything; that's a good place for him.

Yesterday we get an e-mail telling us that when one of the employees on maternity leave comes back, she will take over as Operations Manager. Mr. Know-nothing, however, has agreed to stay on as VP of Production!!!!!! This guy came in a couple of months ago knowing nothing, and now he is the VP of Production???!! This is unbefreakinglievable to me.

I give up.

[Oeditpus Rex]

1. Ever hear of the Peter Principle?

The Peter Principle is a colloquial principle of hierarchiology, stated as "In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence." Formulated by Dr. Laurence J. Peter in his 1968 book of the same name, the Peter principle pertains to the level of competence of the human resources in a hierarchical organization. The principle explains the upward, downward, and lateral movement of personnel within a hierarchically organized system of ranks.

On a personal level, the practical application of the Peter Principle is that it allows assessment of the potential of any given employee for a promotion to a higher rank on the basis of job performance in his or her current position. It states that members of a hierarchical organization are eventually promoted to their highest level of competence, after which further promotion raises them to a level at which they may become incompetent. Such a level is called the employee's "level of incompetence", at which the employee has a dismal or no chance at all of being promoted any farther, thus achieving the ceiling of his career growth within a given organization.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Principle

[cautiouslywaiting]

5. I've never heard of that before.

I think it's true though. There are some really dumb people in my office.

[Floogeldy]

2. Looks like a classic case of who is blowing (or licking) who?

;)

[wildhorses]

6. you took the words right off my keyboard--

:thumbsup: it is going on as we speak where I work:eyes:

[Haole Girl]

3. I have asked this question many, many times

[lildreamer316]

17. Seconded, with feeling.

This is almost the most important question I want answered before I die.

[CBHagman]

4. Sometimes it's because they do one thing well...

...and management asssumes that because they do X, Y, or Z effectively, they can do A, B, and C, which naturally does not always follow.

In other instances, the incompetents have some other inroad (for example, being related to or friends with higher-ups).

And I've seen a number of cases where management, very much in the mode of the Bush adminnistration, will not admit to a mistake and will not take any steps to correct/improve the situation. I work in the private sector and have seen a number of cases where an incompetent, addicted, difficult, and/or otherwise dysfunctional person is kept in the same position for years. Either management remains in denial or winds up having to fire the person.

[barb162]

9. I have noticed the same thing over and over again.

[bullwinkle428]

12. Damn, I've seen that a number of times over the years in working

for the same medium-sized corporation over a period of 19 years. That, along with the standard butt-kissing/brown-nosing are major reasons for this phenomena...

[u4ic]

7. Because it's really

the shmucks at the bottom who do all the work.

They need all the good, competent people there. :P

[Hand]

8. Insh'Allah...

It's the only possible explanation. :rofl:

[Kerrytravelers]

10. They will often put people in upper positions that have no

vision or are strong leaders because the ones at the top level don't like to be challenged.

I've noticed this in education. I have no desire to be principal, as I haven't taken one step toward working on the credential. It would be a waste of time since I know that I would never be named principal. I actually know and follow Ed Code and speak up when it's being broken. I have been under the supervision of several principals who don't seem to care. One even admitted to me that she didn't know the Ed Code. I suggested she take a look since violating it puts everyone in legal jeopardy.

Quite frankly, we have reached a point in this county where it's easier to just shrug your shoulders and let the next guy worry about it. We're expected to just keep our mouths shut and be happy we even have a job. And quite frankly, it is this very lack of discipline or responsibility that gives us "leaders" like shrub and a country of people who have no idea what is going on because we have a media that operates like the very management we're talking about. Pitiful, lazy and good for nothing.

Ok, rant over. :rant:

[Broken_Hero]

11. Probably

because they are great butt kissers...my wife has a lady in her office, who can't even write a proper sentence, yet makes more money than her...this lady can't do anything right...yet, she is a good butt kisser, and the bosses can't see her for who she really is....

[baldguy]

13. People destined to be pointy-haired bosses get there

Because they can do less damage to an organization when they're in a position of meaningless authority than as one of the workers.

[graywarrior]

14. Shit floats to the top...everytime.

Well, maybe not everytime, but most times.

[supernova]

15. I think it's because

they are so incompetent that they get pushed up out of the way of the people who can actually do the work.

:crazy:

[KurtNYC]

16. When I worked at a certain film studio (on Pico), even the security

guards knew that incompetants were getting promoted.

One pulled me aside and said about a middle management person: "I don't know who's d**k she's s*cking but it must be the right one because every time I see her she has gotten another promotion."

[Orsino]

18. Because they're promoted by...

...all the incompetents who were promoted before 'em. Once that disease sets in, the only cure is surgery.

[Throd]

19. Because they don't pose a threat to the promoters.