Scribd
Upload
50 views1 page

Employees Can Rise To Their Level of Competence

gfgfg

Uploaded by

pravin2projects
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
50 views1 page

Employees Can Rise To Their Level of Competence

gfgfg

Uploaded by

pravin2projects
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 1

Employees can rise to their level of competence

There is often a sense of fatalism when it comes to The Peter Principle. Its considered inevitable. For
management experts, countering this belief is as challenging as the Principle itself.
The Peter Principle, in its basic form, is this: In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of
incompetence. The situation is not altogether gloomy. In some of the forward-thinking companies in India
and abroad, most of them in the technology and manufacturing sector, concrete efforts are being made to
avoid the Peter Principle.
In these companies, two roles are clearly etched and differentiated. They are the technical-architect role
and the people-manager role. These companies allow a high-performing employee working on the technical
side, the option of remaining a technical person, says management consultant Naresh Purushotham. Peter
Principle strikes often because companies dont take its challenge seriously. Taking on the Principle
requires sustained effort and initiative.
When someone is being considered for a promotion and a responsible position, top management should
have this employees entire professional journey traced, from the time he started his career. How he coped
with change and rose to fresh challenges in the past could be an indicator of how he would cope with the
challenges of a new role.
Management should engage in meaningful conversations with the employee and carry out certain
assessments, include an aspiration assessment. Its possible that he does not really aspire to this new
position. Assuming he wants this position, it has to be ascertained if he has the skills and attitudes that are
required for it. Psychometric assessment and other tools can help obtain a picture of where he stands.
Following this, if necessary, skills can be imparted to him through training. An employee marked for a
higher position can be tried out for six months in that role, and it could be decide later if he should be
moved into that role, says Naresh
When there is overwhelming evidence that having an employee continue in his current position is in his and
the companys best interests, an individual career path can be carved out for him.Such a career path will
include different levels of complexity within his current position, says Naresh. The new challenges could
keep him happy in his old position. And, he could also be rewarded in ways other than a promotion.
When someone is being considered for a promotion and a responsible position, top
management should have this employees entire professional journey traced, from the time
he started his career. How he coped with change and rose to fresh challenges in the past
could be an indicator of how he would cope with the challenges of a new role.

You might also like