---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I distinguish five types of indicatorism…"
description: "\"“I distinguish five types of indicatorism: 1. performing easy, indicator-improving tasks; 2. avoiding difficult, indicator-worsening tasks; 3. improvin..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/berend-van-der-kolk-101024_dashboard_i-distinguish-five-types-of-indicatorism_3207248.jpg"
---

#  I distinguish five types of indicatorism: 1. performing…

![“I distinguish five types of indicatorism: 1. performing easy, indicator-improving tasks; 2. avoiding difficult, indicator-worsening tasks; 3. improving an indicator for the short term, at the expense of long-term goals; 4. ignoring tasks not covered by an indicator; 5. manipulating or cheating to…” quote by Berend van der Kolk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/berend-van-der-kolk-101024_dashboard_i-distinguish-five-types-of-indicatorism_3207248.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/berend-van-der-kolk-101024_dashboard_i-distinguish-five-types-of-indicatorism_3207248.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb7/berend-van-der-kolk-101024_dashboard_i-distinguish-five-types-of-indicatorism_3207248.jpg)

> ““I distinguish five types of indicatorism: 1. performing easy, indicator-improving tasks; 2. avoiding difficult, indicator-worsening tasks; 3. improving an indicator for the short term, at the expense of long-term goals; 4. ignoring tasks not covered by an indicator; 5. manipulating or cheating to improve an indicator.””

[Berend van der Kolk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berend-van-der-kolk/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The quote categorizes five indicatorism types, from easy tasks to manipulation, highlighting ethical concerns in performance measurement.

**In simple terms:** Five types of indicatorism range from harmless to deceptive.

Key Takeaway

Beware of gaming metrics and prioritize genuine improvement.

Themes

ethics measurement performance integrity strategy

Mood

analytical critical ethical

Type

Dashboard:1 Ethics:1 Fraud:1 Gaming:1 Indicator:1 Indicatorism:1 Measurement:1 Term Goals:1 Improving Indicator:0 Types Indicatorism:0 Indicatorism Performing:0 Indicator Manipulating:0

When to use this quote

- business management
- policy design
- personal productivity

Key Concepts

indicator manipulation short‑term vs long‑term goals organizational behavior

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you ensure metrics reflect true progress?
- What safeguards prevent indicator manipulation?

A Different Perspective

May be specific to certain corporate cultures.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dashboard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dashboard/) [Ethics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ethics/) [Fraud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fraud/) [Gaming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaming/) [Improving Indicator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/improving-indicator-4212707/) [Indicator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indicator/) [Indicator Manipulating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indicator-manipulating-5978498/) [Indicatorism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indicatorism-90724/) [Indicatorism Performing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indicatorism-performing-5978497/) [Measurement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/measurement/) [Term Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/term-goals/) [Types Indicatorism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/types-indicatorism-5978496/)

## Related quotes

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> [The dashboard in my BM, kinda confusing Head game on my BM, cause confusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-cafe/the-dashboard-in-my-bm-kinda-confusing-head-game-on-my-bm-cause/)

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> [I just wanted to be in Dashboard for a minute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matty-healy/i-just-wanted-to-be-in-dashboard-for-a-minute/)

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[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Berend van der Kolk

> [“This focus on improving an indicator while losing sight of the original goal is what I call indicatorism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berend-van-der-kolk/this-focus-on-improving-an-indicator-while-losing-sight-of-the/)

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## More Dashboard quotes

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