The Tyranny of Metrics

by Jerry Z. Muller

8. How and by whom are the measures of performance developed? Accountability metrics are less likely to be effective when they are imposed from above, using standardized formulas developed by those far from active engagement with the activity being measured. Measurements are more likely to be meaningful when they are developed from the bottom up, with input from teachers, nurses, and the cop on the beat. That means asking those with the tacit knowledge that comes from direct experience to provide suggestions about how to develop appropriate performance standards.2 Try to involve a representative group of those who will have a stake in the outcomes.3 In the best of cases, they should continue to be part of the process of evaluating the measured data. Remember that a system of measured performance will work to the extent that the people being measured believe in its worth. So far, in this chapter, we’ve taken the perspective of those in a position to decide whether and how to institute metrics. But what if you are not in such a position, if you’re further down in the organizational hierarchy, where you are expected to execute metrics—a mid-level manager, say, or the head of an academic department? Then, you face a choice. If you believe in the goals for which the information is being collected, then your challenge is to provide accurate data in the most efficient way possible, one that demands the least time of you and those you manage. If, by contrast, you believe that the...