Definition

1. Noun:
   • A satirical principle of organizational behavior: "Parkinson's Law" is the cynical observation, formulated by C. Northcote Parkinson, that work expands to fill the time available for its completion.
   • A related principle on bureaucratic growth: It also refers to the observation that the number of subordinates in an organization tends to increase over time, regardless of the actual amount of work to be done.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • I gave myself a week to write the report, and it took the whole week. It's a perfect example of Parkinson's Law.
  • The manager complained that Parkinson's Law was evident in the ever-growing administration department, despite stable project loads.

Advanced Usage

• "Parkinson's Law of Triviality": A corollary stating that organizations give disproportionate weight to trivial issues (e.g., discussing the color of the office bike shed) while neglecting complex, important ones.
  • The three-hour debate over the font in the newsletter was a classic case of Parkinson's Law of Triviality.

Variants and Related Words

• Parkinsonian (adj): Relating to or characteristic of Parkinson's Law or inefficient bureaucratic expansion.
  • The approval process had become Parkinsonian, with endless layers of sign-offs.

Synonyms

• Bureaucratic inertia: The tendency of administrative systems to maintain themselves and grow.
• Work expansion principle: A descriptive synonym for the core concept that work fills available time.

Related Idioms/Phrases

• "Work expands to fill the time available": This is the most common phrasing of the law's primary concept and is often used as a standalone idiom.
  • We set a tight deadline to avoid the trap of "work expands to fill the time available."

Noun

1. C. Northcote Parkinson's cynical observation that the number of subordinates in an organization will increase linearly regardless of the amount of work to be done
2. C. Northcote Parkinson's cynical observation that work will expand so as to fill the time available for its completion