The Tyranny of Metrics

by Jerry Z. Muller

The key components of metric fixation are ■ the belief that it is possible and desirable to replace judgment, acquired by personal experience and talent, with numerical indicators of comparative performance based upon standardized data (metrics); ■ the belief that making such metrics public (transparent) assures that institutions are actually carrying out their purposes (accountability); ■ the belief that the best way to motivate people within these organizations is by attaching rewards and penalties to their measured performance, rewards that are either monetary (pay-for-performance) or reputational (rankings). Metric fixation is the persistence of these beliefs despite their unintended negative consequences when they are put into practice.