andreweverett360 Book Review, Management

The Tyranny of Metrics

The Tyranny of Metrics

by Jerry Z. Muller

“This book argues that while they are a potentially valuable tool, the virtues of accountability metrics have been oversold, and their costs are often underappreciated.” There are chapters on the dysfunction of “metric fixation” in colleges and universities; schools; medicine; policing; the military; business; and philanthropy. Problems include gaming the system, costs exceeding benefits, and diverting effort from the core mission. A major theme is metrics as a substitute for competent judgment.  Continue reading “The Tyranny of Metrics” →

andreweverett360 Book Review, Management

Management Rewired

management-rewired

Management Rewired: Why feedback doesn’t work and other surprising lessons from the latest brain science

by Charles S. Jacobs

This book is applies neuroscience research to the field of management.

The trend in business has been toward making data-driven decisions, but Charles Jacobs explains why using only the logical side of our brain would lead to myopic decisions.  Fortunately, the prefrontal cortex is connected to the amygdala, the portion of the brain which deals with emotion and memory, and this helps us make judgments based on previous experience.   This reminded me of what Jack Welch has written about managing from the gut, which Welch says is basically pattern recognition. Continue reading “Management Rewired” →