Petered (what happens after the Peter Principle)
The Peter Principle suggests that employees are promoted until they reach their level of incompetence, at which point their career stalls. However, Christian Gläßel and Adam Scharpf argue in Making a Career in Dictatorship that career pressure can lead to a reversal of this trend. Rather than simply remaining at their incompetent level, these individuals may seek to advance further within the organization.
By taking on high-risk, labor-intensive, or morally contentious tasks, they can reestablish their value, regain competitiveness, and potentially outpace their previous superiors. Alternatively, they might resort to sabotage by making false allegations or revealing secrets, creating vacancies above them and forcing their advancement.
This behavior transforms them from a "merely incompetent" individual into a genuine threat to the organization and its leadership. In essence, the Peter Principle can lead to a scenario where those initially promoted to their incompetence level become a liability and actively undermine the organization.
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