The Tyranny of Metrics

Bastian Greshake Tzovaras reviewed The Tyranny of Metrics by Jerry Z. Muller

When you not only hate metrics but also transparency

2 stars

This was a very weird read. On the surface level, this provides an okay summary of all the issues with metricification and how a narrow focus on the quantitatively measurable has lots of unintended consequences.

What I wasn't prepared for [my bad for not having read the author's bio beforehand] was the extremely conservative point from which the author approaches the question. In an outright bizarre final chapter, the author argues against transparency outright and somehow manages to mix in Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning (who the author ofc deadnames…) as examples of how metrics and transparency are bad? Because somehow non-quantified civil/human rights violations done in the dark are better?

An okay collection of examples of how metrics backfire, but I'm sure there's books doing the same without the right wing baggage.

DaveNash3 reviewed The Tyranny of Metrics by Jerry Z. Muller

Review of 'The Tyranny of Metrics' on 'Storygraph'

3 stars

Once metrics drive promotions, bonuses, and firings, they will be gamed. Just because something can be measured doesn't mean that should be. For profit organization have one goal - profit, non-profits including government agencies have many, they shouldn't be run like a business. This is Muller's argument in a nutshell of a nutshell.

He gives his argument in the first chapter and then expands and supports through out the rest of the books.

It's been my experience that once a metric become a determining factor for someones job, it gets gamed. And that's the main argument against metrics. It also seem that pay for performance doesn't work in for profit so why transfer to non-profits.

A lot of this is things that I've felt or sense but it helps for the author to bring it all together.

however, since he gives everything away up front and writes in a more …

Once metrics drive promotions, bonuses, and firings, they will be gamed. Just because something can be measured doesn't mean that should be. For profit organization have one goal - profit, non-profits including government agencies have many, they shouldn't be run like a business. This is Muller's argument in a nutshell of a nutshell.

He gives his argument in the first chapter and then expands and supports through out the rest of the books.

It's been my experience that once a metric become a determining factor for someones job, it gets gamed. And that's the main argument against metrics. It also seem that pay for performance doesn't work in for profit so why transfer to non-profits.

A lot of this is things that I've felt or sense but it helps for the author to bring it all together.

however, since he gives everything away up front and writes in a more academic style, it gets dry after 100 pages, which is ok because the book is only like 185 pages.

So next time a politician wants to do no child left behind or a something like that, read this book. Metrics often are misused in the private space and are even worse in the public / non-profit space. Mueller really hammers that.