The Tyranny of Metrics
Jerry Z. Muller
This book delves into the rise of quantifying human performance and how it's impacting various institutions. Jerry Muller explains how this fixation on measuring itself is becoming a "tyranny of metrics" that threatens the quality of our lives. While metrics can be beneficial when used correctly, Muller uncovers the damage it's causing in areas such as education, medicine, business, and government. The book includes examples of why paying for measured performance doesn't work and when metrics can be beneficial. The Tyranny of Metrics is a timely and powerful book that provides readers with a checklist of when and how to use metrics.
Publish Date
2018-02-06T00:00:00.000Z
2018-02-06T00:00:00.000Z
first published in 2017
Goodreads Rating
3.71
ISBN
9780691174952
Recommendations
4
Recommendations
2020-12-02T14:20:12.000Z
@ShahinKhan @MarkMFallon @bwatwood @pptsapper Mostly same-same. Read Jerry Muller’s The Tyranny of Metrics. Excellent book. – source2018-04-21T12:31:00.000Z
An 11h flight can be fun. I read the exciting book by historian Jerry Muller, which deals w/ 'The Tyranny of Metrics' & unintended consequences of incentives based on ever-increasing metric madness. Everyone should at least hear EconTalk Episode w/Muller. – source2018-09-28T00:37:14.000Z
A student recommended this book by @jerryzmuller which I liked a lot. It has some great examples on perverse incentives resulting in unintended consequences from measuring stuff and making the data public. – source2020-09-16T02:11:12.000Z
4/ I am a mathematically inclined software engineer and metrics are great for widgets. Metrics try to reduce people to widgets. That's why metrics don't work long term for people.
Here is a great book that details the case against metrics for people: – source