Parkinson's Law - Explained
What is Parkinson's Law?
Written by Jason Gordon
Updated at October 5th, 2022
- Marketing, Advertising, Sales & PR
- Accounting, Taxation, and Reporting
- Professionalism & Career Development
-
Law, Transactions, & Risk Management
Government, Legal System, Administrative Law, & Constitutional Law Legal Disputes - Civil & Criminal Law Agency Law HR, Employment, Labor, & Discrimination Business Entities, Corporate Governance & Ownership Business Transactions, Antitrust, & Securities Law Real Estate, Personal, & Intellectual Property Commercial Law: Contract, Payments, Security Interests, & Bankruptcy Consumer Protection Insurance & Risk Management Immigration Law Environmental Protection Law Inheritance, Estates, and Trusts
- Business Management & Operations
- Economics, Finance, & Analytics
- Courses
What is Parkinson’s Law?
Parkinson's Law, created by Northcote Parkins (1955), states that "work expands to fill the time available for its completion". Parkinson's Law is applicable at the individual, group, and organizational levels.
As a result, companies are growing just for the sake of growth in numbers of employees and people become busier and busier, even though they are neither becoming more successful, nor are they making (more) money.
What are the Assumptions of Parkinson’s Law?
Parkinson says there are two factors that underlie the general tendency to which his law gives definition:
- The Law of Multiplication of Subordinates: An official wants to multiply subordinates, not rivals.
- The Law of Multiplication of Work: Officials make work for each other.
