Part 5 of my Mediocratopia series covers this phenomenon in detail. I use the colloquial Americanism for “calculated mediocrity” popular in some work subcultures for this: sandbagging. This is probably the most serious part in what’s now a 12-parter.
A reply to OT proposes that calculated mediocrity is another term for “work to rule.” This is incorrect. As I explain in the article, precisely hitting a declared target performance level reveals too much about surplus capability. You have to over/undershoot sandbagged target bit
I’m genuinely fascinated by the phenomenology of mediocrity. It’s not just something I’ve thought about for brand reasons. I’d even think about it on a desert island.