they don't want someone more qualified than they are, for fear I'll take their job
You are of course here recapitulating an element of the basic scenario that gave rise to C. Northcote Parkinson's classic essay Parkinson's Law. If you know only the Law itself, you are well advised to hunt down the slender book of the same title. Although Parkinson was observing the British civil service of half a century ago, his observations are timeless.

[link|http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1568490151/103-8450702-0869420|http://www.amazon.co...3-8450702-0869420]

cordially,