Peter Principle

QUOTE

Peter pointed out that a class, or caste (social stratification) system is more efficient at avoiding incompetence. Lower-level competent workers will not be promoted above their level of competence as the higher jobs are reserved for members of a higher class. "The prospect of starting near the top of the pyramid will attract to the hierarchy a group of brilliant [higher class] employees who would never have come there at all if they had been forced to start at the bottom". Thus the hierarchies "are more efficient than those of a classless or egalitarian society".

UNQUOTE

This was taken from the wikipedia page on Peter Principle 

I was actually surprised at such a thought!  But if one digs a little further, possibly there could be truth behind what was argued by Dr. Peter.  May be, that's why they used to have such kind of hierarchies in the olden days.  But the problem occurred when someone was confined to the class he was born in irrespective of displaying potential to be worthy of doing higher level work.

I just added the book "Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong" in my wish list.  I shall give an update once I finish reading.