Really insightful read! hHow do you think organizations can best balance the need for measurable goals without falling into the Goodhart’s Law trap? Is it more about refining metrics continuously, or should we rethink our reliance on metrics altogether?
Hey Drake, thanks for the comment. I think removing it 100% is tough but there are ways the risk can be reduced.
One is the refining metrics that you mentioned, specially if there is already evidence it's being gamed.
Another important one is watching for side effects (the 3rd resolution suggested in the article). If for instance, your CTR rate has gone up but your sign-up has dropped then that's a sign that something has gone wrong.
Jeff Bezos talked about a similar concept during his early days at Amazon which was interesting: "When the data and the anecdotes disagree, the anecdotes are usually right." I think that description fits here
Really insightful read! hHow do you think organizations can best balance the need for measurable goals without falling into the Goodhart’s Law trap? Is it more about refining metrics continuously, or should we rethink our reliance on metrics altogether?
Hey Drake, thanks for the comment. I think removing it 100% is tough but there are ways the risk can be reduced.
One is the refining metrics that you mentioned, specially if there is already evidence it's being gamed.
Another important one is watching for side effects (the 3rd resolution suggested in the article). If for instance, your CTR rate has gone up but your sign-up has dropped then that's a sign that something has gone wrong.
Jeff Bezos talked about a similar concept during his early days at Amazon which was interesting: "When the data and the anecdotes disagree, the anecdotes are usually right." I think that description fits here
Here is his video if you want to check: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub585Pn4yro