Strategic Incompetence

Purposely performing a task so poorly as to discourage being assigned this task again, but not poorly enough to be fired

Cube Dweller1: Dude, writing the weekly report is a sucky job; how do I get out of it?

Cube Dweller2: Just screw up some people's names and swap some people's tasks, nobody will want you to do it again

Cube Dweller1: Ahh....Strategic Incompetence....a fine idea....my inner slacker is jumping for joy!

by TedDeadMan September 4, 2009

Selective incompetence

Something you "can't" do because you don't want to do it. Something you can get others to do by making believe you can't do it.

When asked to do laundry they put all the white clothes in on hot and then put a brand new red sweatshirt in too. The result was all the white laundry was pink and they were banned from touching the laundry ever again...they could wash laundry but didn't want to so they applied "selective incompetence " to get out of ever being asked again.

by Murphwish July 9, 2016

institutionalized incompetence

When a dysfunctional institution teaches and embraces incompetence as though it is the pinnacle of competence because it is so embedded in its culture.

How does one truthfully explain something like the post office or the prison industrial system to a child without in some way making a reference to institutionalized incompetence?

by Dr Bunnygirl June 21, 2020

Buffer of Incompetence

The person that is worse at their job than you. The person that will be fired if there are layoffs.

Crap... Steven got let go; he was my buffer of incompetence. I'll have to step it up.

by benmo88 January 23, 2020

Institutional Incompetence

How ever much money, time & training, large government departments and publicly run local bodies etc cannot get anything right.

For two weeks bad weather is forecast, 4 inches of snow falls, the country is ground to a halt, closed airports, railways, roads & schools, caused by institutional incompetence.

by Elle Kaye March 22, 2011

incrompetent

To throw more interceptions than touchdowns in a single game.

Justin: Jonathan Crompton had a incrompetent day, throwing three interceptions and no touchdowns vs UCLA.

Ricky: Yup, we're screwed this year.

by ]\/[GoBlue September 17, 2009

incompetent

Being useless or very bad at your job or task.

This teacher is so terrible. He has not gone over any of the class material in 3 weeks of school and our test is in 2 days. Hes so damn incompetent.

by pissed off at my teacher September 16, 2009