The story behind The Peter Principle book

In 1969, a satirical book, The Peter Principle, suggested promotion led to incompetence.

It was written by a Canadian Professor of Education, Dr Laurence J Peter and playwright Raymond Hull.

The book was a parody of management theory, but its core message struck a chord with many: “In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence".

It became an instant classic, selling millions of copies around the world.

In 2021, Alex Last told the story of how Dr Peter came up with his theory using an archive interview he gave to the BBC in 1974.

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(Photo: Dr Laurence J Peter. Credit: Getty Images)