Weaponized incompetence

Weaponized incompetence, also called strategic incompetence, is a concept in popular psychology related to an individual using feigned or deliberate incompetence to avoid unwanted responsibility.^[1]

In popular psychology

The term was coined by Jared Sandberg in a 2007 article for The Wall Street Journal, in which he described the phenomenon of strategic incompetence as one in which employees intentionally demonstrate a lack of competence in the workplace to avoid performing unwanted responsibilities. Once others begin to perceive the individual as incompetent, they stop delegating tasks to them. The article also discussed the behavior in interpersonal and romantic relationships.^[2]

The concept has some similarities to the corporate concept of "expectations management", in which a customer's expectations are lowered to make it easier to satisfy them.^[3]

It is often described as a form of manipulation.^[4] The defining trait of weaponized incompetence is that it is deliberate. Someone intentionally performs a task poorly and refuses to learn how to do it correctly because they want someone else to see their incompetence and assume responsibility for the task.^[5] Others might agree to take on the responsibility out of frustration that the tasks are not being performed well.^[6]

Gender and weaponized incompetence

Weaponized incompetence can be a symptom and cause of gender inequality in relationships and the workforce, as some men avoid menial responsibilities which are then delegated to women. This can make it harder for women to advance in the workforce, as they are burdened with less prestigious but essential work while their male colleagues focus on tasks that boost their esteem and lead to promotions.^[7][1] Similarly, women can sometimes feign being too weak for physically demanding tasks such as lifting heavy objects or opening tightly closed jars in order to avoid doing those tasks, and relying on their male co-workers to complete them.

Weaponized incompetence is sometimes used to explain the unequal division of labour in domestic relationships,^[8][9] where one member of the household might employ incompetence to avoid domestic tasks such as housework or childrearing. In particular, it is used to describe situations where men feign or maintain incompetence in areas deemed "women's work," so that their female partners will perform the majority of domestic labor,^[8][10] contributing to the "lazy husband" trope.^[11] Strategic incompetence can also be used to avoid responsibility for organization, kinkeeping and social planning.^[12][13]

This behavior is rooted in patriarchal expectations of women's roles as nurturers and organizers.^[13] This can cause some women to take on the burden of additional domestic and emotional labor because their partners do not.^[14] The unequitable division of labor can then create feelings of resentment or hostility between partners.^[5][15]

In culture and politics

The concept has also been applied to racial disparities, in which racial minorities are expected to be more educated about and actively involved in addressing issues related to diversity and inclusion than their white counterparts.^[16][17][18]

Discussions about weaponized incompetence went viral on the social media platform TikTok in 2023.^[19][20]

See also

• Gaslighting
• Somebody else's problem
• Buck passing

References