With Stoke's economy still in trouble, and a recent survey I undertook of my staff found that they consider the average manager to be "about as competent as a useless bastard", EYE ON STOKE will help to explain one of the reasons behind one of the problems hindering many businesses, known as "The Peter Principle".
The Peter Principle theorises that the average manager is promoted beyond their skill level, and is in essence, incompetent. The theory was first written by Dr Laurence J. Peter in 1967, later expanded with the help of Raymond Hull in 1969.
The theory states that when an employee has reached their level of incompetence, their trajectory within the organisation will end and that person will normally remain at that level, spending much of their time having to cover up their incompetence, often pinning the blame onto other people.
Other problems are also created. The incompetent manager will often be in charge of recruitment or deciding promotion, leading to a situation where an organisation is increasingly filled with incompetent staff, especially at higher levels.
Other parts of the theory include the idea that "work is accomplished by those employees who have not yet reached their level of incompetence" and the notion of "managing upwards", whereby subordinates find ways to subtly "manage" their own managers to try and limit the damage they can cause.
For more on "The Peter Principle", you can read the Wikipedia article here:
Alternatively, you can buy the book at Amazon (UK):
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