> While incompetence is merely a barrier to further promotion, "super-incompetence" is grounds for dismissal, as is "super-competence". In both cases, "they tend to disrupt the hierarchy." One specific example of a super-competent employee is a teacher of children with special needs: they were so effective at educating the children that, after a year, they exceeded all expectations at reading and arithmetic, but the teacher was still fired because they had neglected to devote enough time to bead-stringing and finger-painting.
> ...a teacher of children with special needs...fired...
Note that that example is from (at latest) the 1960's. These days, at least in better-off areas, the parents of the affected special needs kids would likely make life hell for the School Board behind that firing.
More generally: If your super-competence is highly beneficial to some folks further up the pecking order, that often takes precedence.