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Your Incompetent Boss Is Making You Unhappy

Posted by timothy on from the doesn't-bode-well dept.

HnT writes A new working paper shows strong support for what many have always suspected: your boss's technical competence is the single strongest predictor of workers' well-being, way ahead of other factors such as education, earnings, job tenure and public vs. private sector. On top of other studies which have already demonstrated that happy workers are more productive workers (e.g. this 2012 paper.), it does make you wonder how long organizations can afford to continue promoting incompetent bosses in today's very dynamic and competitive business world.

3 of 204 comments (clear)

  1. Peter Principle by Solandri · · Score: 5, Interesting

    The Peter Principle is a concept in management theory in which the selection of a candidate for a position is based on the candidate's performance in his or her current role rather than on abilities relevant to the intended role. Thus, employees only stop being promoted once they can no longer perform effectively, and "managers rise to the level of their incompetence."

    The solution (assuming you're already in a state with incompetent managers) is to allow incompetent managers to be demoted back into a position they're competent in. Unfortunately, society has a huge bias against workplace demotion.

  2. I Once Had A Boss Tell Us He 'Hates Computers.' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    He was a VP in charge of a large software development organization for a Fortune Five company subsidiary.

    After a reorg, and this guy came in, he called the staff to his (large, well-appointed) office, and told us to note that he did not have a computer on his desk.

    He mentioned that he was a lawyer, and disliked computers.

    That was my 'résumé moment' at that company.

    Needless to say, that subsidiary has long since gone the way of the dodo.

  3. How about rotating the boss hat? by PeterM+from+Berkeley · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Have a culture of rotating people in and out of management to "lower" positions. Like department heads at universities, the job lasts a year or two then you're back as a normal faculty.

    I rotated in and out of a money management job, now I'm back doing technical stuff. As a result I have a very good understanding of that end of the business as well as the techical end.

    --PM