Goals Quote by Charles Goodhart
““When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Economics of Control, 1975
When a metric is turned into a goal, it loses its effectiveness as an indicator.
In simple terms: Targets distort true measurement.
Beware of metric fixation.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- business management
- public policy
- education
- healthcare
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- What measures have you seen become targets?
- How can we preserve metric integrity?
May ignore qualitative aspects.