Why Are There So Many Bad Bosses? (Update)
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People who are good at their jobs routinely get promoted into bigger jobs they’re bad at. We explain why firms keep producing incompetent managers — and why that’s unlikely to change.

• SOURCES:

• Nick Bloom), professor of economics at Stanford University.

• Katie Johnson), freelance data and analytics coach.

• Kelly Shue), professor of finance at the Yale University School of Management.

• Steve Tadelis), professor of economics at the University of California, Berkeley Haas School of Business.

• RESOURCES:

• “People Management Skills, Employee Attrition, and Manager Rewards: An Empirical Analysis),” by Mitchell Hoffman and Steven Tadelis (Journal of Political Economy, 2021).

• “Promotions and the Peter Principle),” by Alan Benson, Danielle Li, and Kelly Shue (*The Quarterly Journal of Economics, *2019).

• “Bosses Matter: The Effects of Managers on Workers’ Performance),” by Kathryn L. Shaw (IZA World of Labor, 2019).

• “The Value of Bosses),” by Edward P. Lazear, Kathryn L. Shaw, and Christopher T. Stanton (*Journal of Labor Economics, *2015).

• The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong)*, *by Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull (1969).

• EXTRAS:

• “The Secret Life of C.E.O.s)” series by Freakonomics Radio.

• “What Does a C.E.O. Actually Do?)” by *Freakonomics Radio *(2018).