digging old texts can have some unexpected effects. skimming through an old datamation edition from november 1974 brings up the burnout theory as an addendum to the list of productivity and management philosophies. (peter principle, inverse peter principle, ie)

the theory is as follows: after two years on a system a person reaches a productivity peak. he experiences "burnout". the only way to improve productivity further, assuming a promotion is not available, is a lateral move to a different system.

why is the theory important? the burnout theory attacks boredom, fights complacency, dispels data processing mysticism, and more importantly, increases department productivity by developing more experienced data processing professionals.