Below is the fourth in a series on five methods for overcoming the Knowing-Doing Gap. They are great lessons I’ve learned – and worked hard to apply – from the “The Knowing-Doing Gap,” authored by Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I. Sutton.
Some professionals today, unfortunately, operate in businesses where they feel pressured to justify their existence. In pursuing this justification, they often will adopt a philosophy of “What gets measured gets better.”
But what if they are measuring the wrong things?
Another unfortunate circumstance of some businesses today is that what gets measured gets done. So, if the wrong things are being measured, it stands to reason that the wrong things will keep happening.
I am absolutely a results-oriented person, yet I do believe that measurement can become too complex. By becoming too analytical, we can actually defeat the purpose of monitoring our successes and fail to move ourselves forward.
Avoid falling into the Knowing-Doing Gap by committing to constant change, particularly when it comes to the process of measurement. Reduce the complexity and eliminate the processes that don’t encourage knowledge.
Business leaders must challenge themselves to move to a more holistic measurement, taking a look at things like internal profitability or the depth of customer/client relationships. We do this by not being married to the process of measurement.