What you measure is what you get - Sun, Apr 30, 2023
What you measure is what you get
What you measure is what you get
Synopsis
- Danger: <em>“More likely, what you measure is all you’ll get”</em>
- Better: <em>“A Problem Solving Culture”</em>
Quotes
- “What you measure is what you get”
- Synonymous: “What gets measured get’s managed”
- “the most important figures that one needs for management are unknown or unknowable, but successful management must nevertheless take account of them.”
- “metrics are a key component of performance evaluation, merit increases, and future career path within the firm.”
- “tell me what number you want to move, and we’ll make sure that we do”
- “Don’t jump to solutions or accept when others go straight from problem recognition to solution. Grasp the actual conditions of problem situations firsthand whenever possible and insist that others clearly describe the problems they are trying to solve.” (with emphasis on others clearly)
Conclusion:
A problem solving culture
may yield better overall quality since it does not rely on metrics and measurements and their above described shortcomings but rather fosters participation and involvement in constantly improving.
They key here is that “knowing what you did” (the process of getting better) has more value than meeting (or not meeting) a specific metric.