Lesson THEME: The peter principle
The Peter principle is a concept in management developed by Laurence J. Peter, which observes that people in a hierarchy tend to rise to their “level of incompetence”.
In other words, an employee is promoted based on their success in previous jobs until they reach a level at which they are no longer competent, as skills in one job do not necessarily translate to another. The concept was elucidated in the 1969 book The Peter Principle by Peter and Raymond Hull.
Peter and Hull intended the book to be satire, but it became popular as it was seen to make a serious point about the shortcomings of how people are promoted within hierarchical organizations. Hull wrote the text, based on Peter’s research.
The Peter principle has been the subject of much later commentary and research.
Activity 1:
Listening exercise
Listen to the following sound clip:
Activity 2:
Debate
Statement:
As people are promoted, they become progressively less-effective because good performance in one job does not guarantee similar performance in another.
Do you agree – why or why not?
Take a stand point and defend your opinion.
Activity 3:
QuOte:
“In time, every post tends to be occupied by an employee who is incompetent to carry out its duties.”
Please explain what your understanding is of this quote.
Do you agree or disagree with it? Why or why not?
Activity 4:
IDIOMS:
English idioms, proverbs, and expressions are an important part of everyday English. Because idioms don’t always make sense literally, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the meaning and usage of each idiom.
Learning to use common idioms and expressions will make your English sound more native, so it’s a good idea to master some of them.
They have a lot on their plate
It’s a win-win situation
let’s crunch the numbers
put it on the back burner
time to ramp it up
Activity 5:
PHRASAL VERBS:
Phrasal verbs open up a whole new world of possibilities for speaking English. They are phrases that give verbs completely different meanings. They are also used often in everyday conversation, which makes them important to know.
Close down
Fight against
Fall behind
Turn down
Work out
Activity 6:
ASK QUESTIONS REGARDING THESE STATEMENTS:
When you’re great at something, you might get rewarded with a promotion
When you’re competent, even a dummy can see your output.
Activity 7:
headlines:
The Peter Principle is a joke taken seriously. Is it true?
“The Peter Principle” and Other Reasons To Think Twice Before Accepting a New Promotion”
“Incompetence Rains, Er, Reigns: What The Peter Principle Means Today”
Activity 8:
Homework:
Write a 200 word report answering the following: Should the best sales person be promoted to the position of Sales Manager?
This is a writing and speaking exercise.