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The most vivid (and horrific) example of what relying too much on metrics can lead to are Robert McNamara's policies during the Vietnam War. [1] Also, because
by LaundroMat 3y ago
The most vivid (and horrific) example of what relying too much on metrics can lead to are Robert McNamara's policies during the Vietnam War. [1]
Also, because defenders of KPI-driven management love to use the saying that "you can't manage what you can't measure", it's worth repeating the original quote where this is lifted from:
> "It is wrong to suppose that if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it – a costly myth." (W. Edwards Deming)
[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/McNamara_fallacy https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/McNamara_fallacy
- infinite8s 3y agoThat's the original quote? That's the opposite of "you can't manage what you can't measure."
- LaundroMat 3y agoExactly. Most people I witnessed saying this never even heard of Deming.
- lcnPylGDnU4H9OF 3y agoI haven’t heard either quote but a quick search yielded this: https://deming.org/myth-if-you-cant-measure-it-you-cant-manage-it/ https://deming.org/myth-if-you-cant-measure-it-you-cant-mana....
- marcosdumay 3y agoIt's certainly not the origin of "you can't manage what you can't measure". For a start, Deming is almost a century too young for that.
- LaundroMat 3y agoAh, that's interesting. I always thought it was a selective quote lifted from Deming. Can you tell where it originated? Taylor, or even before?
- Spooky23 3y agoIt comes down to at some level the right measurement is useful. The problem is the middle manager owes the VP 12 measurements. The clever supervisor picks the easiest to achieve metrics possible.
- LaundroMat 3y ago"At some level" is the crucial point. But all too often metrics are a stand-in for the overall goal, and people forget their reductive nature, thereby allowing the system to optimize for the metrics instead of the underlying goal. Ultimately, the "some level" you refer to is a very basic level; even more basic than what one would intuitively think.
- Spooky23 3y agoAbsolutely. My employer had an influx of GE refugees about 15 years ago. They would pursue this nonsense with considerable zealotry. They brought with them the church of Jack Welch, which was ironic as that culture pretty much chewed them up and spat them all out.
- adolph 3y agoYes, because the metric by which the manager measures employment is getting paid. If the VP measures “goal accomplished” instead of “potential goal impact * % realized” then the VP will get easily accomplished worthless metrics.
- Spooky23 3y agoYup. One of my triumphs at a previous job is that we inserted “attempt” into a bunch of “do this” metrics. The dashboard was 100% green - we tried to do x, y, z. The auditors were laughing when they verified our attempts. But the bonuses were paid and all was well.
- userbinator 3y agoThe counter-saying to that is "not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted, counts."